Honoris Certamen Book 2: A Class Of Its Own
by Una
Summary: Set after EYES, the Wild Cards have to find the enemy from within as he threatens the safety of both Wild Cards and Storm Squadron, a RAF unit on exchange.programme. A Megan Chambers Story
1. Part 1

Disclaimer: The characters and situations of 'SPACE: Above And Beyond' featured in this story are legal property of Glen Morgan and James Wong, Hard Eight Production and 20th Century Fox Broadcasting. No copyright infringement intended. The characters of Flight Lieutenant Chambers and the rest of the number 9-8 RAF squadron portrayed in 'A Class Of Its Own' are purely fictional and legal property of the author.

My special thanks to Anja whom I pested with my various drafts of the story and keeps up with my 'S:AAB'-craze and her useful remarks. Perge, qua coepisti!! Also, lots of 'thank yous' to Susi Patzke for beta-reading.

And, of course, comments are always welcome at _[Una][1]_

PG-13 rated (for slight swearing)

A CLASS OF ITS OWN

by

_Una Fritz_

**Prologue**

Shane Vansen looked up at the stars of the dark planet Nox and squinted at the incoming attack jets who bombed the area in front of them with sniper and gun-laser fire. For the last five weeks, the combined squadrons of the five-eight, the seven-one and several United Forces' squads had tried to secure the area around mount MS-8117 on Nox, a fitting name for a planet in constant darkness because it was too many MSKs away from its sun. The young Lieutenant sighed softly and took off her NVGs for a moment to rub her eyes. The fifty-eighth squadron waited patiently until the gun-fire had died down, then Vansen gave the sign to advance. Slowly, they made their way up to the hill where the Chigs had established several gun nests on the far side of it. Volleys of bursts surrounded them and more than once in the passed weeks, the squadron had to duck for cover before gunned to pieces by the 7.2 mm laserguns operated by two Chigs in each nest.

"Oh man," Cooper Hawkes groaned as he threw himself onto the hard ground again. Slowly, he edged his way forward to the side of Vansen who used one of the night-vision binoculars to observe the Aliens.

"You see 'em coming?" the young Lieutenant asked and Shane frowned at him after she had securely tucked the binocs away again.

"Cooper, go back in line ..." she demanded but she knew from experience that the In-Vitro would want to argue with her.

"Do you mind telling me what this shit-bucket is all about? For weeks we tried to secure this dammed hill and all you say is 'go back in line'. That's shit, Vansen, and you know that!" Cooper hissed and re-adjusted his NVGs. "I'm sick of listening to this kind of crap, I don't even understand why this blasted hill is of any importance to the outcome of this damn' war!"

The young woman sighed and looked at him. Through the goggles his face beneath the helmet was cast into a ghostly green light.

"Coop, if you try to argue with me I gonna ..." she broke off when Cooper threw himself on top of her and pushed her deeper to the ground. Gun-fire blazed all around them and she heard the click-click sound of the Aliens communicating with each other.

She heard Paul Wang's battle cry as he engaged gun-fire onto the Chigs and when Cooper lifted himself off her to get some good shots at the Chigs as well, she could see that the five-eight had baited three Chigs from their gun nests. Without thought she raised her M-590, her movements deriving from months and months of experience and training. The booming of the fire was all around them, when they suddenly heard the loud roar of jet engines driven too hard above their heads.

"Look at this!" Vanessa Damphousse cried and pointed at the sky. The Wild Cards looked up and saw several endo-exo attack jets slicing through the flak fire with dare-devil melee. One jet made a very unusual and under these circumstances quite a dangerous manoeuvre as it was almost hovering dead still only a few metres above the ground and with three perfect shots the gun-nests were destroyed and the way up the hill was freed. As Shane looked up at the belly of the attack fighter, she realised that this was not a Hammerhead at all, the plane's wings were of a different shape and a Union Jack was painted on them. When she asked Paul about it, he grinned.

"That was a Spittie ..." he said and gave a wolf's whistle. "Boy, that must be a hell of pilot, I wouldn't do such a manoeuvre with a BC-48, even if my life's at stake ..."

"Why not?" West asked breathlessly. "That was an unusual but true combat manoeuvre ..."

"Because, West, if you'd read some of the technical manuals in the library back at the 'Toga, you'd know that the British attack jets are far too heavy handed to begin with. Their LIDARs and HUDs were state of the art ten years ago to say the least ..."

"Would you two mind, and help us secure the hill?!" Shane asked impatiently.

The remaining Chigs had either fled into the dense forest or had been killed. The five-eight secured the gun-nests and waited for their back-up to arrive and after another day on the planet they were picked up by an Inter Stellar Space Transport Vehicle.

The whole squadron was relieved when they returned aboard the USS Saratoga but their relief was short lived because as they entered the mid-deck of the spacecraft-carrier, a group of techies were nervously working on the Wild Cards' attack jets.

"Hey, what's up?" Cooper asked one of the techies and the young man saluted nervously.

"Sir, I don't know, Sir," the young man stammered. "I mean there will be new attacks coming soon," the young technician muttered and ran off to his duties.

Cooper and Shane exchanged a look and the young Lieutenant sighed. She knew what Cooper was about to say: that the five-eight was assigned to yet another mission without their expected break.

"I don't want to hear it," she exclaimed and turned towards their quarters. But the voice she was hearing behind her back was not Cooper's but Nathan's.

"They can't do something like this. Last time we were on Op for more than five weeks I've almost got myself killed because I fell asleep! They have to grant us at least a rest, dammit!" Shane closed her eyes for some moments before opening them again. She was just as tired as her friends but she was their commanding officer and she had the duty to follow every Op they were assigned to.

Although the rumours about the impending mission spread aboard the Saratoga throughout the following day, the five-eight had their expected break. Hawkes and Wang went over to the tavern where they played their usual round of table soccer on the old dilapidated table while Damphousse and Vansen sat at a table in the corner sipping their drinks. West was nowhere to be seen but the rest of the squadron knew that he had sought a quiet corner on this huge spacecraft carrier to write a letter to his parents.

"Hoo-Ya," Paul exclaimed when he had just won another round at the soccer game and Cooper kicked the table angrily.

"One day I'll get even for this, Wang!" he said good-naturedly and trotted off to the bar and got himself and Wang some drinks.

Wang went over to Damphousse and Vansen and plopped down on a seat beside them.

"Congratulations, Mr. Super-Soccer!" Vansen said and Paul grinned at that.

"Hey, Coop. Do you want to loose another round?" he yelled towards the bar where Cooper shrugged his shoulders and gave him the V-sign.

"Don't tease him, Wang!" Vanessa said and gave Paul a kick on his shin. "You just want to have another free beer!"

"Hey, that hurts," Paul yelped.

"Serves you right, Marine!" Shane commented and took another swig of her beer.

"Thank you, Vansen. For once we agree!" Cooper said who had come to the table.

"Don't let it go to your head, Coop!" Shane retorted tartly and nudged him in his ribs. The In-Vitro grinned and sat down beside her. He was glad that she took up with his constant complaining during Ops for she knew that he still had to adjust to life.

"I don't think Coop would gloat," Vanessa said and winked at him.

"Sulking at a lost game, yes. But not gloating ..."

**Chapter One**

Col. T.C. McQueen went over to the Wild Cards' quarters in the evening. He had deliberately given them some time off, but their break had come to an end. A few days ago, he had received a pre-recorded message from his old friend Major General Ray 'Champ' Chambers, the highest ranking In-Vitro in the Army at that moment. Chambers had informed him that his daughter Megan was on her way to the Saratoga as part of the United Forces Exchange Programme. Meg had been born shortly before the AI-wars and after McQueen had helped Chambers escape at Omicron Draconis, the two In-Vitroes had become friends for life and despite McQueen's growing uneasiness he had been part of Chambers' family ever since. When he entered, the voices inside the room died down.

"Ten-Hut!" Vanessa shouted and all the Marines stood more or less tight in front of their commanding officer.

After a cursory glance around, McQueen gave them a curt nod. Paul and Nathan exchanged a quizzical glance with each other and Nathan nudged Cooper questioningly but the young tank only shrugged his shoulders in reply.

"Wild Cards, you may have heard that the US Marine Corps takes part in an exchange programme with other allied nations ..."

"Exchange programme?" Vanessa whispered and smiled. "Perhaps we were chosen ..."

"A RAF squadron is on its way to the Saratoga and they have been assigned to the 58. I count on it that you give them a warm welcome. They arrive here at 2000 hours. Any questions?"

"Sir!" Vanessa stepped forward and watched McQueen.

"Yes, Damphousse?"

"Sir, is there any chance that we will be assigned to this special exchange programme, Sir?"

"Do you feel uncomfortable onboard the Saratoga, Damphousse, or why are you so eager to leave?" McQueen inquired.

"Sir, no, Sir!" Vanessa answered.

"Well, the 58th squadron is not and WILL NOT be assigned to this programme, we are needed here."

"Sir, yes, Sir!" The Wild Cards replied in unison. After Col. McQueen had left, the Marines sat down again.

"What does he mean, a RAF squadron?" Hawkes asked and Paul grinned.

"RAF stands for Royal Air Force, it's been the British Air Force for almost 150 years now."

"Yup, and they have these BC-48 transatmospheric attack jets which we've seen on Nox. Some people say they have a left hand drive!" Nathan added and sent Cooper into more confusion.

"Left hand drive?" he asked and Shane and Vanessa laughed at that and Vanessa put her hand on Cooper's shoulder.

"Coop, the British still drive on the left side of the road and it is a running gag for other nations because they adamantly refuse to change it!"

"And therefore, their jets have a left hand drive!" Shane added.

"They're crazy, those Brits ..." Cooper snorted and they all laughed.

"What do you think?" Paul asked his friends after the laughter and stupid jokes had died down.

"Are we expected to change their diapers or what?"

"Dunno, Wang. Perhaps they're real good pilots!" Nathan said thoughtfully.

"Hah, if they're so good why did Fleet-Com let 'em leave? You heard McQueen, We're needed here ..." Cooper said.

"O.k., I rectify my words," Vanessa sighed and rolled her eyes to the ceiling of their small quarters. "He definitely gloats!"

"Well, he's right, ain't he?" Paul replied in his broadest Chicago drawl. "The Cards ARE the best!"

At 2000 hours sharp McQueen stood on the 14th middeck and watched the arrival of the RAF ISSCV. Cdr. Ross, commanding officer of the space craft-carrier USS Saratoga, stepped to his side.

"Did you tell your Marines that they will team up with the RAF squadron?" Ross asked and McQueen nodded.

"Yes, Sir, I've informed them!"

"I just hope they behave themselves once the pilots are on board!" Ross replied and McQueen gave him a sideways glance.

"Sir?" he asked.

"Oh, come on, Ty!" Ross said. "Don't play dumb with me! You and your Marines always seem to seek trouble along the way!"

"If you want to say that the Wild Cards are a safety problem you've to dismiss us, Sir!" McQueen answered sternly. Ross sighed and shook his head. He knew very well how stubborn McQueen could become for they went back a long time together.

"You know as well as I do that you've got a mighty good squadron on your hands there! Fleet-Command would be out of their minds if they'd dismiss this particular squadron of very fine officers ..."

McQueen was about to reply when the transporter was announced to have landed.

The two men headed for the landing area and when the door opened they saw five flight officers in the squeaky-clean blue dress uniforms of the Royal Air Force. The Colonel watched the pilots as they filed out of the transporter.

As he recognized his godchild, he was awe-struck by the resemblance to her father and somehow, the Colonel grew nervous. Like Major General Chambers, she had brown eyes and hair, betraying the Native American heritage of the Gamma 3401, gene-pool 34F of her father. From her mother's side of the family she had inherited the pale complexion and the delicate bone structure.

For a moment McQueen had to steady himself. Somehow he had expected to see the same awkward fourteen year old teenager from six years ago, when she had announced that she had applied at Innsworth to pursuit a career as an officer in the RAF. To his surprise and much to his dismay, she had turned out nicely, giving him a definite start. But what concerned him even more was the bleak look in her eyes. In former times, her dark eyes had been the doors to her soul, always laughing despite her problems as the daughter of an In-Vitro. He was afraid that he knew what this sudden change had provoked, having seen this look in too many soldiers who had lost their faith in the war.

The female Flight Lieutenant saluted and stood tight in front of the officers.

"Sir, the number 9-8 squadron of the 6th Flight Wing RAF Corps asks to come aboard, Sir!" she announced and McQueen nodded curtly.

"Acknowledged, Flight Lieutenant," McQueen said, tasting the strange rank on his lips.

"How is your father, Major General Chambers?"

"Sir, the last time this officer saw her father, the General was in good health, Sir!" Chambers replied, she gazed sideways to one of her fellow-officers.

She knew that she had a hard stand as a senior officer in her squadron as it was and it would be even harder now as they knew that her father was a General with the US Marine Corps. She saw the smirk on Urquhart's face, her second in command, and sighed inwardly.

"Nine-eight," Ross announced and inspected the pilots. "Welcome aboard the USS Saratoga, I'm Commodore Glen Ross. Colonel McQueen here is your new commanding officer, he and his squadron, the Wild Cards, are your new wingmen." The Commodore glanced over to McQueen who had been studying the RAF pilots closely.

The Commodore had sensed immediately that something was wrong. Ever since he had heard that Megan Chambers was coming, he had thought to assign her squadron to any other than the five-eight. As far as he was concerned it wasn't good to let Chambers come near any IVs. Not that she was a racist. But her last squad had been an all-tank squadron and all but one had survived a disastrous Op in the Procyon Sector. As he watched McQueen watching the nine-eight, he noticed that the Colonel was watching a tall blonde pilot in particular who stood in front of him with an unmistakable air of disinterest.

Ross sighed inwardly and stepped over to McQueen.

Beside Chambers there was another woman in the squadron whose eyes darted back and forth nervously. McQueen reckoned that she hadn't be a Flight Lieutenant for long. The other two male pilots were of slim built and one of them had the freckled complexion of a Celt.

"If any problems occur, you will report them immediately to the Colonel. Dismissed!" Ross said and the officers followed McQueen to their new quarters.

"So, our tankbrat is the daughter of a tank-general," Urquhart whispered to Firth, one of his friends. "I just hope they haven't got any more nipplenecks in the assigned squadron..."

"Fat chance, Urquhart," the other officer replied and pointed towards McQueen who was walking in front of them, the collar of his flight suit not covering but in fact enhancing the birthmark at his neck.

"He's an In-Vitro as well ..."

When McQueen opened the hatch to the Wild Cards' quarters, four Marines rushed to their feet. Hawkes had sneaked out to the VR-cade yet again to top his aim as a VR-sniper. When the RAF pilots scurried into the sleeping quarters, Shane, Paul, Vanessa and Nathan were tense as barb wire.

"Wild Cards, here are your new crewmen, the number 9-8 squadron of the RAF Corps!" McQueen announced.

The British pilots entered slowly, eyeing the Marines as they looked for vacant beds. The Marines on the other hand watched their CO for they could always tell whether something was amiss or not by reading his face. At the moment, McQueen looked tense and when he shot his pilots a warning glance, the Wild Cards knew that they were in for some trouble. After another cursory look around, he noticed Hawkes was missing.

"Where's Hawkes?" he asked in a stern voice when the hatch to their quarters opened and the AWOL stumbled in.

"Having another go at the VR-cade, Lieutenant?" The Colonel asked sarcastically.

"Sir, yes, Sir!" Hawkes answered, flashing his fellow crewmen a bewildered grin.

"You'll be present in the briefing room at 0700 hours tomorrow morning, so make yourself comfortable ..." McQueen said.

He eyed each of his Marines closely and when his gaze rested on Hawkes, he nodded shortly, directing his head towards the young female Flight Lieutenant. Shane noticed this exchange and when she looked up to Cooper, he stood there dumbfounded. She nudged him in his side.

"You should keep an eye on the CO ..." she whispered and Cooper nodded in reply, for the first time noticing the female Flight Lieutenant standing at the hatch and exchanging some last words with the Colonel.

The woman looked pretty enough, he thought and was about to turn away when she faced the room, after McQueen had left, their eyes locking immediately.

I'll be damned, Coop thought. This woman was ... what was the word the NBs used: beautiful? Yeah, that was the word. And something else struck a deep chord inside of him, something familiar. Perhaps she was a tank like him. He had recognized McQueen as one the moment he had walked into the bar back at the Loxley Marine Corps Space Aviator Base.

"You can have the free bunks over there," Shane told the pilots and pointed towards several beds at the rear end of the room.

The RAF pilots slowly walked over but when Chambers put her bag onto one of the free lower bunks, Urquhart pushed her away.

"That's mine, tankbrat!" he hissed under his breath and threw her bag down onto the floor. The woman shot him an angry glance, but after a few moments of thought she nodded and picked up her bag.

When she looked up, she saw that the Marines were staring at her and she lowered her lids. She quickly turned and ran almost into Cooper and Nathan.

"Flight Lieutenant, you can've the bunk above mine ..." Cooper blurted out which was commented with a hilariously overdone eye roll from Vanessa.

"Thank you, Marine," the RAF officer replied and hauled her army pack onto the vacant bunk above Cooper's.

The young Marine watched the woman intently but he could not see any tell-tale signs whether she was an In-Vitro like him and McQueen. He shot Shane a glance and while shaking his head, he rubbed his neck. Vansen understood his gesture and her curiosity was piqued.

Why did McQueen have a special interest in the Flight Lieutenant? she asked herself.

"So, you are the RAF pilots ..." Shane said and looked around.

"How many sorties have you flown against the Chigs?"

Urquhart grinned devilishly and came over to her.

"More than you have ... Marine!" he said. "We are real pilots and not some Navy personnel trying to be Air Force ..."

"Hey, we didn't ask ya to join us," Nathan said and pushed Urquhart back. "We were told that we would fly with the best and not with a pack of snobbish high and mighty Brits!"

"You stupid Yankee ..." Urquhart blurted out and charged against Nathan.

"Stop it, both of you!" Shane and Chambers had stepped between them and Chambers pushed Urquhart away.

"Urquhart, if you don't cut it out, I have to report you ..." Chambers said, giving him a hard look. It seemed as if Urquhart wanted to challenge her but then he bowed mockingly.

"Yes, Ma'am!" the man answered through clenched teeth.

Shane was aware of the tension between the two crewmen and when she shot a glance at Chambers, she could see that the Flight Lieutenant was desperately trying to remain calm. Vansen nodded towards Wang, who stood beside her. The Lieutenant understood immediately. He had to seek for a diversion and stepped forward.

"What about a drink in the 'Tun?" Wang suggested, trying to relieve some of the tension and opened the door.

After the new arrivals had stepped out of the room, the Marines exchanged a look with each other. It seemed as if they had received more than they had bargained for.

   [1]: mailto:USMCSpace@gmx.net



	2. Part 2

**Chapter Two**

At the 'Tun, the British officers made it clear that they wanted to keep to themselves. They sat down at one of the vacant tables, grouping around Urquhart. Only Flight Lieutenant Chambers sat alone at the bar, sipping a coke.

"What was that all about?" Vanessa asked in astonishment. "I mean what is a tankbrat? Either there are In-Vitroes or natural born humans ..."

"Children who have In-Vitro parents are often called tankbrats, Damphousse," McQueen replied who had entered the bar unnoticed. The Marines looked up at him expectantly after this bit of information.

"Chambers is obviously their CO, why doesn't she report this idiot to the Commodore, Sir?" Paul asked. "I wouldn't put up with this ..."

McQueen nodded, then leant forward.

"Flight Lieutenant Chambers' father is a Marine Corps Major General, the highest ranking In-Vitro besides an Admiral, and I guess she had had to put up with a lot of nicknames over the years ...", he said while glancing over to Chambers.

"You mean, Colonel, she is an American serving in the British Air Force?" Cooper inquired but McQueen shook his head.

"Her mother's an English Group Captain with the RAF, Hawkes," the Colonel replied. "From her mother's side she comes from a long line of career officers, so she joined the RAF. I know Chambers and I guess he expects only the best of his daughter ..."

Shane shook her head.

"It seems as if she has given up fighting, Sir! If I'd the chance I would clobber Urquhart from here to the homeplanet of the Chigs!" she said. "He is an asshole ..."

"You're right, Vansen, and I trust that you'll give him something of his own," he nodded and went over to the bar.

"Did anything happen in the quarters, Meg?" he asked when he sat down beside Chambers.

The woman looked up and shook her head.

"No, Sir. The number 9-8 squadron took up lodgings as demanded, Sir!"

McQueen watched her closely. She had the features of her father and to look at her he saw her father's face the first time he had met him. It had been shortly after he had been assigned to the Marines and on a secret mission during the AI-wars and Chambers had been his commanding officer. Later, Chambers had asked him to be the godfather of his daughter who had just been born. When he had been informed by her father that she was coming to the 'Toga, Chambers had also told him that she had lost her entire squadron only a few months before. She had been in therapy for three weeks before she had signed herself out and taken up duty again but he had been able to see the tell-tale signs of fear and defeat. Seeing her like this, he felt a strong feeling of protection towards her just as if she were his own flesh and blood.

"We are in the 'Tun, Meg. You can quit your 'I'm an officer talking to my CO'- stuff."

The young woman smiled and raised her glass in silent salute.

"And I always thought you were an officer through and through, Uncle Mac!"

"Yes, I am but you are my godchild and I'm not as inflexible as some people might like to believe." McQueen answered and took a sip of his beer.

"Do you still watch the W.C. Fields films?" she asked suddenly.

"Yes, but we aren't talking about my hobbies, Meg. Tell me something about your squad!" he demanded and saw Meg's soured expression.

"Flight Lt. Michael Urquhart is the tall one on the right," she said and pointed to the blonde man at the table nearby. "He's a good shot but his skills as a pilot are mediocre. Nevertheless, he is my second in command though I'd rather had Mullen. Susan Parsons is the woman. She has just left boot camp and is still a bit uncertain about herself but she is made from good stuff and I have high hopes in her that she'll be promoted to Flight Lieutenant soon."

"What about the other two?" McQueen inquired.

"Petey Mullen is the redhead. His temper is fierce but he's a born pilot and his shots are good. He was a techie before he joined the Corps, so he's our trouble-shooter on sorties and Ops. He also likes play-acting..." she grinned at that and pointed to the last man at the table.

"Con Firth is the one over there. He gets angry if someone makes fun of his height. But he is a good soldier and takes point in any ground Op."

McQueen turned around to face his niece again. The nine-eight was the second squadron under her command and he had serious doubts if she could pull this assignment around. Ever since she had lost almost her entire squadron, the number seven-two RAF squad, on some miserable Chig-planet in the Procyon Region, she had lacked her definite edge as a commanding officer.

If she didn't get her act together she would loose this squad as well and he was sure that it wouldn't be due to a battle.

"Do you have any problems with Urquhart?" He sensed her tensing and he knew that he had hit bull's eye.

"Did your Marines tell you that?" she asked defiantly but McQueen shook his head.

"Even a blind man would sense that something's wrong with the two of you ..." he replied and turned towards the table where her fellow officers sat.

It reminded him of the many times when he had sat apart from his Angry Angels-comrades because they did not accept an In-Vitro among them.

"The nine-eight is a newly established squadron, Uncle Mac. We all have a lot of getting used to each other. And Urquhart has been with the number 9-8 only a few weeks, he will come through ..." Meg said reassuringly but McQueen shook his head.

"And in the meantime he rallies your fellow officers against you, Meg," he turned around to face her. "This man is dangerous. If a squadron does not form a gung-ho, no-one's watching your back when you need it ..."

"Don't you think that I know that, Uncle Mac?" Meg inquired. "But I have never reported a fellow officer just because he didn't accept my family ... And you should know from own experience that you have to keep a low profile. In the end they grow bored with their wisecracks ..."

The Colonel emptied his beer and stood up.

"It's your choice, Meg. But you are the commanding officer of this squadron and sometimes it's better to make a counter-attack instead of sitting out ..." Chambers nodded and turned towards her coke again.

"Meg?" McQueen inquired suddenly and her head jerked up.

"You were not responsible for the deaths of your crew-mates," he said nodding towards the ring with the RAF signet on her hand. Meg closed her eyes, clutching the hand with the ring into a tight fist.

"In war we all lose people who are dear to us but we just keep on fighting. If you can't do that than you lose yourself ..."

She knew he was right but the pain over the deaths of her crew-men had left a deep pain inside of her. The first time she had been assigned to a regular flight Corps, the seven-two, she had been the only natural born human. Soon she had found out that other CO's had refused to lead a squad of tanks and because of her outstanding family, she had been assigned to the job. Until then she had known that people made a distinction between In-Vitroes and natural born humans but in the RAF she had learned that there was a third distinction; that of tankbrats and she was one of them.

"Do you think McQueen and Chambers are more than mutual acquaintances?" Paul asked and nodded towards the Flight Lieutenant.

"They seem quite close to each other ..."

"Paul," Vanessa said. "You know the proverb: Curiosity killed ..."

"The cat ... yeah, I know, 'Phousse," Paul interrupted her and grinned.

"But you get paranoid around here without the mail arriving in time, so I'm looking for some exciting news ..." The Marines laughed and Shane nudged Cooper at his side.

"Why don't you go and invite her over, Coop?!" she suggested.

"Yeah, then Paul can satisfy his curiosity," Nathan said and grinned towards Paul who lowered his eyes in embarrassment.

"Go on, Coop. You are the charmer of the five-eight," Vanessa urged him with a smile.

Cooper smirked at that and stood up. Slowly, he went over to the bar and sat down beside Chambers. From time to time he shot her a sideways glance, not sure how to invite her over. Chambers had noticed his stare and after a while she grew annoyed.

"Alright, Marine. Are you finished with your freak show?" she snapped angrily. "Now, leave me alone and tell your friends that I'm not a googy-eyed monster..."

Cooper squinted at her in surprise, then he smiled shyly.

"Uh. No, obviously you're not!" he said and extended his hand.

"Lieutenant Cooper Hawkes of the five-eight US Marine Corps," he introduced himself. "My friends and I ... uh, wonder if you'd join us, Flight Lieutenant," he nodded towards his friends who sat at their table expectantly. Chambers watched them for awhile and the Marines exchanged glances with her. She turned towards Cooper, shaking his hand.

"Flight Lieutenant Megan Chambers, Meg to my friends!" she introduced herself. "And one thing I want to make clear from the beginning, my father is a tank!"

"I can live with that," Cooper answered and turned around to reveal his navel at the back of his neck. "I never had a father, IV or not!" She stared at the birthmark and lowered her lids when he turned to face her again.

"I guess I put my boot right in, didn't I?" she asked. "I'm sorry that I snapped at you but at the moment I have it up 'til here ..." she touched her forehead with her hand. She picked up her glass and stared into it for a few moments.

"I would like to join you and your friends," she said slowly and Cooper led her over to the table.

"Chambers, these are my friends," he said and pointed from left to right. "This is Paul Wang, Vanessa Damphousse, Nathan West and Shane Vansen, our honcho."

"Hello, Meg Chambers!' she introduced herself. Paul pulled a chair to the table and urged Meg to sit down.

"So, what do you think about the Saratoga so far?" he asked. Meg laughed and shook her head.

"Besides being on the flight deck, I have just seen the sleeping quarters and the tavern but she is an impressive sight as far as I could see her from the ISSCV. My squad is stationed on a similar dreadnought in the Procyon region."

"We were assigned to the Procyon region a while ago and we were met with severe counter attacks by the Chigs. The last thing we heard were that the United Forces had to retreat ..." Vanessa said and bent forward.

"Yes, it was awful," Meg replied wearily. "We were outnumbered and the Aliens flew one attack after the other against us. My last squadron, the Dark Knights, had severe casualties, only two of the original set-up are still in active service ..."

Oh God, she sounded just like the after-mission reports which had been issued after the 98th ill-fated transport Op. Ever since she had asked herself if she had done everything possible to maintain the safety of her crew. If she was up to be a commanding officer. Three of five pilots were dead and she had the uncanny feeling that she had not done her best as their CO.

The Marines exchanged a look with each other for they knew that something like this could happen to them as well any time their were on Op. They grew silent and only hushed whispers were heard from the nearby tables. Cooper stared down at his hands. The thought of loosing his friends made him both sad and angry at the same time.

"Is it true that the Air Force has left-hand drive attack jets?" Cooper suddenly blurted out and was rewarded with a bright smile from his friends.

"In a way, yes!" Meg answered, smiling despite herself at him. "The cockpit is a bit different than the one of the SA-43 attack jets. The propulsions are all on the left hand side as well as the turbo thrusters ... I would like to have a go at one of your Hammerheads to see if I can handle it! Uncle Mac ... I mean Colonel McQueen promised me to fly one during the patrol flights ...."

"Uncle Mac?" Nathan asked in surprise. "I didn't know that McQueen had family ..."

"My father and the Colonel were in the AI-wars together. He saved my father's life and ever since he had been part of the family. When I was a child I really thought he was my uncle until I found out that In-Vitroes didn't have any natural born relatives ... well ..., no brothers or sisters to speak of, anyway ..." Meg answered thoughtfully.

The next day the Marines inspected their SA-43 transatmospheric attack jets which had been fitted out with new LIDARs. The British pilots were curious about the jets, lingering around the flightdeck in more than an obvious way and when Cooper and Shane ran into Meg, they asked her if she and the others wanted to have a look.

Shane watched as Chambers scurried down the corridor to inform her squadron.

"I think you're doing a good job ..." Vansen said and smiled at Cooper.

"McQueen must have sensed that you two would take off like a house on fire ..."

"What do ya mean?" Cooper asked in surprise.

"Chambers' never distinguished between natural born humans and In-Vitroes. She thought it was normal and now, without the shelter of her family, she has to learn it the hard way that most people think differently." Shane touched his arm. "You've been through all this and you can help her ..."

Cooper nodded, not quite sure what she meant. But then most of the time things eluded him. Since he had left the gestation tank six years ago and had escaped from the Gestation Facility in Philadelphia when one of the monitors had tried to erase him, he had been on his own and tried to teach himself the ways of humans.

When the rest of the Wild Cards arrived in the corridor leading to the flightdeck, Shane briefed them.

"I guess McQueen wants us to show them our jets, so ..." she paused and nodded towards Wang. "You will show your jet to Mullen; Vanessa, you will take Parsons and Nathan ..."

"I will take Urquhart ..." Nathan replied and smirked.

"No," Shane shook her head. "You'll take his buddy, Urquhart is mine and I'll make damn sure that he hates every second of it!"

The Marines laughed at that. Shane Vansen had not been elected their commanding officer for nothing, although she was a charming and easy-going woman, she had fierce claws when pushed too far.

The British pilots arrived after being rallied by Chambers, but Urquhart made it unmistakably clear that he was not interested in the Yankee's jets. Fortunately, he was outnumbered by his comrades-in-arms for once. They were eager to learn more about the famous Hammerheads and when Urquhart wanted to sulk he should do so.

Soon, the Marines found themselves in friendly arguments about the advantages and disadvantages of the British and the American attack jets with the British officers. Shane treated Urquhart like a child after she had ordered him to sit down in the cockpit, making sure that the British pilot felt as uncomfortable as he had made Chambers feel.

"If you pull a right handed turn, you have to make sure that the thrusters are at full max otherwise the Chigs kill ya ..." Shane tried to explain and when she saw that Urquhart barely hid a yawn, she pulled the button of the emergency exit and Urquhart was slammed hard into the seat, his teeth clattering.

"If you think, that these explanations are just to bore you, think again, Lieutenant!" she hissed. "The Chiggies won't be impressed that you bloody Brit gives them the honour to KIA you."

"Lieutenant, do you think the Colonel would allow us to have a go at these?" Con Firth asked Nathan and looked up at him sheepishly.

Nathan had given him a hard time as well but instead of following Urquhart's lead, he had realised that the Marines were the better pilots and that Flight Lieutenant Chambers was made of the same stuff. The young British Lieutenant had realised that he had treated her badly, just because Urquhart had a grudge against her. And he was determined to make up to his CO.

"I guess so," Nathan replied. "Unless you guys think you aren't up to it!"

"Gosh, sometimes I wish I was born right-handed," Meg groaned and sighed. Being a natural left-handed person the set-up of the digitals and buttons in the BC-48 came in handy but here, where almost all of the important gear was reversed, she had a hard time getting used to it. When she missed the propulsion button again by half a mile without looking directly at it, she cursed underneath her breath.

"Hey, you gonna get used to it," Cooper said reassuringly.

The two pilots had not noticed that McQueen had strolled into the flightdeck and when he appeared beside Cooper who was squatting at the pit of the cockpit, the young Marine stood up quickly and stepped aside.

"So, what do you think, Hawkes?" the Colonel asked. "Is Chambers fit to have a go with one of the Hammerheads?"

Hawkes nodded his head, glancing at Chambers who sat in his cockpit.

"Yes, Sir, I think she is up to it ... Sir," he replied and ducked his head. After so many months serving under the command of McQueen, Hawkes still felt shy around the Colonel for he had the greatest respect for this man who seemed like a father-figure to him.

McQueen nodded and turned around.

"Wild Cards ..." he announced. "Number 9-8 squadron ... you are assigned to a patrol flight near the Kali wormhole and I want you to get acquainted with the jets. You will be assigned to Hammerheads as soon as the technicians have inspected them ..."

Parsons and Mullen made war cries in an ear-shattering volume and Shane sought eye contact with Nathan. Together with Cooper they were the best pilots of the 58th squadron and it was a challenge to prove that to the RAF pilots as well.

"Sir," Chambers said, she had stepped out of the cockpit of Cooper's Hammerhead.

"Yes, Flight Lieutenant?" McQueen asked.

"Sir, it's not that we are not excited to fly these Hammerheads but SPACECOM informed us that our own Spitties will arrive here soon ..."

"That's right, Chambers," the Colonel answered. "After the Kali wormhole sortie you will serve your remaining time with your acquainted gear!" he turned to face both squadrons.

"You will be present at 0600 hours sharp in the briefing room tomorrow morning," he said.

"Until then ... you are dismissed!" The Colonel left the flight deck.

Cooper woke up with a start when he heard the soft sobbing sounds coming from one of the bunks. At first he thought that it was Shane, having one of her nightmares again but when he sat up, he realised that it was coming from the bunk above him.

He was about to stand up when the woman above him swung her legs over the edge of her rack and slipped down to the floor. Chambers opened the hatch and slipped outside.

The young IV didn't know what to do. McQueen had not given him explicit orders to keep an eye on her and yet he felt as if he should follow her. He stood up and noticed that Nathan had left his bunk as well.

"I heard her crying," Nathan said apologetically and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess we should follow her. 

Cooper nodded and both Marines went outside. On the corridor there was no trace of Chambers and the men split up. Nathan heading for the tavern whereas Cooper headed for the flightdeck. 

Only the occasional emergency light was giving off a yellowish glow and was leading him the way. When he approached the flightdeck Cooper saw that someone was sitting in the shadows of the hatch and when he came nearer he saw it was Chambers. 

"Hi," he said as he squatted down beside her. 

"Hello," Chambers answered and wiped her eyes awkwardly. 

"I think I'm a bit nervous about the patrol flight tomorrow. It's childish I know, but this THING ..." she pointed towards the cockpit to emphasise her words. "...gives me the creeps!"

"The LIDAR needs a lil' get used to it but everything else is history ..." Cooper replied and lent back against the metal wall. He didn't know why she had lied him, even he could see her pudgy face.

"I, uh, I heard you crying ... and I kinda thought you might need someone to talk ..." he said and watched her.

Megan lowered her lids and blushed.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't want to wake you ..."

"You didn't. I kinda thought that Shane was having one of her nightmares again ... Do you have bad dreams?" he inquired shyly.

Meg nodded to that and gnawed at her lower lip.

Everytime she closed her eyes she was caught in those dreadful days again when she and her old squadron had fought for their lives.

"In my dreams I see my old squad-mates again," she suddenly blurted out and she inhaled deeply. "I keep thinking that if I had been a better CO they would still be alive..."

She swallowed hard but try as she might she couldn't suppress her tears any longer. She rubbed at the tears angrily which ran down her cheeks and for a moment Cooper was confused. He knew that the NBs offered comfort in those situations but he didn't know what to do. Awkwardly, he put an arm around her shoulders and as soon as he had made physical contact, Megan turned in his arm and buried her face against his chest.

Cooper stiffened for a moment in confusion but then he hugged her to himself and petted her shyly on her shoulder and cheek.

It felt good to hold her in his arms and that turned him into more confusion. It felt right, as if she had been born to fit snugly in his arms and for a moment he had to steady his breathing.

Cooper held her until her sobs died down and even after she had sat up again, he was reluctant to let go of her.

"You alright?" he asked hoarsely and searched her face.

"Ta, I'm fine," Megan answered and avoided his eyes. She felt embarrassed that he had witnessed her tears. But she had enjoyed his comfort and compassion but it had made her vulnerable.

"Thank you again, Lieutenant Cooper Hawkes of the USMC!" Meg tried to tease and grinned at him but her smile faltered as he saw the frown on his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Why are you doing this?" Cooper asked in confusion. "One minute you, uh, cry your heart out and the next you're teasing ...?"

Megan sat up and knitted her knuckles together nervously. How should she make him understand that she felt embarrassed? She had lost part of her family and she knew that In-Vitroes could not could not relate to family and bonds of friendship so easily.

"If people think that they have made themselves vulnerable they tend to make fun of it, especially if they lose their grab on reality in the arms of a perfect stranger," she started to explain. "So people make fun of those things so that it will not seem so important. It's like having a noose around your neck, if you think that people can hurt you ..."

Cooper squeezed his eyes shut and nodded. He knew from own experience how it felt to be vulnerable.

"I guess I know what you mean," he whispered. "I ... uh, I had a noose around my neck once ..." Cooper murmured and when he saw the appalled look on her face, he withdrew his arm and straightened himself.

"What happened?" Meg asked with honest interest.

"I ... uh ... these guys wanna see me swing ..." he stammered, feeling his face growing hot all of a sudden when she put her hand on his arm.

Man, what was wrong with him? He was used to the occasional pet from his friends, even from 'Phousse and Shane. But when he had held her in his arms other emotions had flooded his mind and now, as she touched him, he felt nervous all of a sudden.

Think of her as a friend! Yeah, think of her just another one like Shane and 'Phousse. Even better think of her as McQueen's niece!

Cooper clenched his teeth. It was no good!

"I'm sorry, Coop," he heard her say and when he turned his head to face her again, he could see real concern in her eyes. "Being a child of an In-Vitro you think you get used to the humiliation but it always shocks me again and again," she shrugged her shoulders and when she returned her gaze to the young Marines' face she was surprised to see so much raw emotion in his eyes. Over the years she had seen that same look over and over again in the eyes of her father, and sometimes even in McQueen's. The same anger, rage and hurt had also been found in the faces of the young pilots of the seven-two.

She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to push back the memories of her old squad.

When would the hurt stop? she asked herself. When would she be able to forget the frightened look of James Woolfe, hanging on to her for dear life, as he bled to death on moon 3446-Delta, better known as Acheron?

"So much hurt," she whispered as she looked up at him again. She reached out and traced his jaw with her fingers, a gesture harking back to that fateful week on the god-forsaken moon.

Cooper closed his eyes and swallowed hard.

Think of McQueen yelling at ya! he reminded himself but to no good use. Chambers' butterfly touches on his skin made him feel edgy and nervous.

Not that he was as innocent as some people wanted to believe. He knew the basics of sex pretty well, being accurate about rating the nervousness he felt for what it was: basic sexual need! But he had escaped from the gestation facility before he gotta know anything about the love stuff and that didn't help a lot tonight.

Megan sensed his inner struggles but she was oblivious to the fact that she was the cause of it. Being the child of an In-Vitro she had come to know the hatred of natural born humans against In-Vitroes first hand.

"I wish there would be a cure to take away the pain and the humiliation," she said and as she realised what she was doing, caressing a man she had only known for two days, she pulled her hand away.

Hawkes acted purely on instinct then.

To hell with his stupid resistance to withstand this woman any longer. He bent forward and put his lips on her mouth.

Cooper was surprised that she didn't pull away from him immediately. He had been kissing a lot of women over the few years he'd been alive, or trying to kiss anyway. Even Shane had been one of his victims once. But it never had felt this good, this special.

At first Meg was scared about this sudden change of things but after a while she yielded to the hard crush of his mouth by softening her own lips, opening them as an invitation. Cooper soon found out that it even felt better if he took his time. Instead of thrusting his tongue into her mouth, he started dipping into the warm hollow with the tip of his tongue, teasing and tasting her.

And man, she tasted good! Better than anything he had ever known. He liked that! He liked that a lot!

Hawkes pushed forward slightly and put his arms around her shoulders tentatively.

He wanted to taste more of her! Wanted to ... SHIT! He was doing it again. Will you ever learn, you stupid tank?!

He pulled away from her and then he realised that he had held his breath. He forced great gulps of air into his starved lungs and sat back on his heels. Megan had slumped against the wall and tried to steady her racing heartbeat.

Lord, she thought. What was she doing? One moment she was thinking about her old squad and the next she was almost having a little tumble with the Lieutenant.

She should reprimand him, she knew that, but try as she might she couldn't come up with one good reason why she should be angry with Hawkes. In fact she had enjoyed his kisses more than she was ready to admit. For the first time in many months she felt alive again and she cherished this feeling.

For a long time they were silent but when Cooper looked up, noticing Meg's bruised lips, he knew he had hurt her.

Stupid, bloody tank! He could count himself lucky if she didn't report him to McQueen!

"I'm sorry," he whispered hoarsely. "I kinda got carried away ..." he knew it sounded like a lame excuse and he braced himself for the bragging which was about to rain down on him. The last time he had done this little stunt, Shane had almost flagged him.

"No harm done," Meg said shakily and stood up. Cooper looked at her bewildered, then shook his head.

"What do ya mean?"

"I mean, Coop," she said, squatting down in front of him. "Don't apologise for something we both enjoyed and needed!" As she raised to her feet she extended her hand and pulled Cooper to his feet.

"But next time you better ask first before you kiss a woman ..."

Both pilots didn't notice the Marine hiding quickly into the shadows of the flightdeck hatch as they went down the corridor.

Nathan closed his eyes for a moment. He hadn't wanted to eavesdrop, he had just happened to pass by, searching both Cooper and Chambers.

When he had noticed them it had been too late to retreat silently and he had hid in the corners. Witnessing their romantic encounter had torn something apart in him, thinking of Kylen, and yet he had somehow felt relieved that Coop got a taste of love at last.

I just hope he doesn't screw it! Nathan thought but he couldn't laugh about the pun.


	3. Part 3

**Chapter Three**

At 0600 hours sharp the following morning both squadrons met in the briefing room of the Saratoga. Cdr. Ross entered the room, carrying several holodisks with him and after he had told them about the patrol mission, he showed them their assigned OP area on the holoscreen. The squadrons gave a united moan when they saw that their patrol flight would lead them deep into enemy territory. After the briefing had ended, McQueen stepped in front of them, eyeing each pilot closely.

"O.k., listen up! I know that it is always hard to get acquainted with both new jets and wingmen but as attack jet pilots you know that you have to count on your comrades. Animosity and petty fights have to be left onboard here otherwise you and your friends will be dead within the hour!" He shot Urquhart a cold stare.

"So, if you want to behave like little kids remember that your ass and that of your wingman is at stake ..."

After McQueen had left the room, Mullen, Parsons and Firth came over to Chambers.

"Ma'am, do you have any more orders for us?" Firth inquired. The British pilots stood to attention in front of the young Flight Lieutenant and it was clear that from now on they would not doubt their senior officer's command any longer.

"Yes, Lieutenants," Chambers said somewhat bewildered. "Watch your six and good flight!"

Together with the Marines they left for the flight deck where the technicians were busy preparing the jets. After they had reassured themselves that the technicians had checked everything, they made their way to their quarters where they donned on their flight gear.

It always was an impressive sight when the Hammerheads left their lair. But when McQueen watched the departure of the two squadrons, he was enchanted by the sheer beauty of it, as if he saw such a departure for the very first time. Cdr. Ross who had stepped beside him, watched as the thrusters grew smaller and smaller before they vanished into space.

"They seem to form a gung-ho," he commented and McQueen nodded.

"You must be proud of Meg ..."

"Yes," McQueen replied. "And I'm proud of the Wild Cards ... They are the best!"

"Even better than the Angry Angels?" Ross asked, knowing that McQueen was once part of the famous elite squad.

"Yes, better than that!" the Colonel replied.

The two squadrons loosely formed an arrow formation as they headed for the patrol co-ordinates. Shane turned her head slowly after she had checked her HUD. The RAF pilots formed a perfect angle with the Wild Cards, her own and Meg Chambers' jet at the tip of the formation. They had reached the patrol co-ordinates near planet Crom, 650 megastatute-kilometres away from the Saratoga.

For the umpteenth time she wondered about the beauty and stillness of space as she admired the illuminated green side of the planet. Everything looked peaceful from up here and yet she knew from the briefing that the planet was in fact a Chig base. Shane sighed softly and directed her gaze to her HUD again.

"Storm Leader, Queen of Diamonds speaking, check your six, eight and ten. No bogeys so far..." Shane said over the intercom.

"Affirmative, Queen of Diamonds. Six, eight and ten all clear!" Meg replied when she noticed a strange signal on her LIDAR. "Wait a sec, I got some bogey on ten o'clock ..."

"Confirm," Firth replied. "A recon-vehicle... thirty-four degrees south!"

"I can't see him ..." Parsons cried into her com, sounding more excited than afraid. "LIDAR's blank ..."

"Wrong freq, Storm Two," Wang interrupted. "Switch to four-forty on the LIDAR!"

"Queen of Diamonds, Jack'o'Spades," Cooper said over the com. "Got another bandit on eight, seven, six ... they have locked on!"

"Confirmed, Jack of Spades," Shane answered. "Storm Leader, Storm Wing, assume diamond formation. Let's hack!"

She watched as the RAF pilots banked right then went into a full-throttle raise in perfect synchrony. She had to admit that these pilots were good. The young Marine checked her LIDAR again and noticed that fourteen Chig jets were quickly advancing towards them.

Meg watched as her wing followed her and once the NAV system indicated that she had reached the new angle, she cut speed by one quarter and levelled off to probe her HUD. The reason for this manoeuvre was to confuse the Alien crafts, while splitting up the two squadrons seemed an easy prey for the Aliens. Chambers and her wing should ambush the Chigs, trailing above while the Wild Cards baited them.

Meg still had difficulties with the unfamiliar jet but she checked everything double to be on the safe side. She smirked when she noticed that she was looking for the com-button on the wrong side of her displays.

"Queen of Diamonds, Storm Leader speaking, have assumed twelve o'clock high," Chambers said over the intercom. "Don't think the bandits have picked up the ... bait..." the Flight Lieutenant dodged the oncoming attack jet.

"Copy, Storm Leader, YOU have baited them!" Shane announced over the com, her voice having a definite edge to it.

"Wild Cards confirm ... Let's light the pipes we're going in hot!" The Wild Cards made a dive into full-throttle, diving low beneath the Storm wing to the rear of the attacking Aliens.

"Hey, listen up, guys. Two points for every Chiggy," Damphousse announced as her HUD locked onto one of the Alien crafts and she switched on her weaponry.

"That's unfair, 'Phousse," Wang complained. "Then I've to buy Coop his drinks!"

Nathan watched his digital readouts and sighed through the intercom.

"C'mon," he groaned as he waited that the readouts of his weaponry gave him the armed and ready sign.

WEAPON SYSTEM: ARMED.

Cooper switched on the fourth button of his weaponry.

PROXIMITY GUNS: ARMED AND READY.

"I'm going in," he announced over the com and Wang confirmed.

"Right 'ho, Coop, I'm with ya!"

They maxed their thrusters and the Hammerheads rocked them both into their seats.

Suddenly, eager on their prey both squadrons turned around and ten Hammerheads were criss-crossing between the Alien jets.

After Nathan had jinxed and shot down an oncoming Alien jet he watched as Chambers was relentlessly tracking one craft. It seemed as if she was playing with the Chiggy fighter like a cat with a mouse. He shook his head in wonder when she finally locked onto the fighter and gave away to a volley of bursts and the fighter turned into a exploding orb of scorched metal and fire. It seemed as if she was oblivious to the fact that they were in the middle of a battle. Chambers had locked onto yet another Chig fighter when she suddenly heard the warning on her intercom.

"Storm Leader, watch your twelve, bandit's moving in ..." she heard Firth saying. "Can't get a lock on, Chambers, I might hit you!"

"Roger that, Storm Three," Shane said as she shot down an Alien craft. "Storm Leader, try to nose-dive it ..."

"Trying, Queen of Diamonds, but he's jamming my LIDAR;" Chambers replied. "I cannot shake him off ..."

"THERE..." Wang announced as laser fire blazed from his ship and struck one of Chambers tracers. "HOO-RAH!"

"You been taking lessons from Coop?" Vanessa asked as she herself shot down one.

"Pure luck, Wang! I never knew you'd do anything to avoid buying Coop a drink," Nathan cut in and looked for Coop's jet.

Cooper's Hammerhead sliced across the second jet at Chambers tail. He tried to pry him off Chambers but the Alien kept on following her.

Cooper's head jerked around as he tried to follow Meg's jet with his eyes. She made a steep rise to shake the Chiggy off, turning the craft to a full 360 degree circle. With her dare-devil manoeuvre she had jinxed the tracers and she now turned on them. He had seen that kind of manoeuvre before when they had almost been turned in by the gun-nests.

Boy, she's a hell of a pilot, he thought, echoing Wang's words back on Nox. And a hell of a woman, he added. Last night he had been unable to sleep after they had turned in. He had thought that she would yell at him for kissing her but she had remained calm, even telling him that she had enjoyed it. Why was it so difficult to understand the way of humans, he asked himself again for the thousands' time in his short six years of living.

"Wow! Good shot, Chambers!" Nathan was yelling over the com when she had shot down another Chig. "I think Hawkes has found his master at last! He'll probably dare you for a VR-shootout."

"Don't stake a bet on me, West," Chambers said. "I'm a fighter pilot not a Marine. The last time I had sniper training was in HIST!"

"You kiddin'?" Cooper growled over the com when he heard her cry out suddenly. Both, Wild Cards and the Storm Wing watched as Chambers' Hammerhead was hit by a blaze of laser fire.

"Shit, the Chigs got her," Vanessa cried.

"Negative, Ace of Hearts, that was one of us," Susan Parsons announced. "Urquhart's going mad ..."

"Storm One, report!" Shane demanded angrily but the intercom remained silent from Urquhart.

"You stupid son of a bitch," Firth hissed. "You get us all killed!"

"Shut up, Storm Three," Chambers' voice sounded strained over the intercom. "Watch your six!"


	4. Part 4

**Chapter Four**

"Damage report, Storm Leader," Cooper identified breathlessly, he had dropped in behind Chambers, covering her tail soon after he had seen Meg's jet going off in a blaze. His heart still pounded heavily and he took in a deep breath to steady himself.

"HUD's gone and my propulsion is jammed!" Meg answered wearily. "Can't get enough power ..." She hit the digitals with her gloved fist but the readouts remained dead. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment to chase away the dizziness and tried to restart her propulsions. The Hammerhead rocked forward and she braced herself for the familiar impact of the thrusters going off. Nothing happened, the databars telling her that the propulsions were malfunctioning.

Great, she thought and squinted her eyes against something running down her forehead and cheek. Through the reflection on the Plexiglas rebreather of her helmet she could see that the sticky, warm liquid was in fact her blood. She tried to focus her thoughts on what it meant but somehow she couldn't. Suddenly, laughter rose in her throat. She had seen it coming all along those passed three months and the realisation that she would join her dead crew-men at last made her light-headed.

Black circles appeared in front of her eyes and she tried to raise the others over her com. Ever so slowly she raised her hand to push the button but as she tried to reach out, black unconsciousness engulfed her and her head fell back against the Plexiglas pane of her canopy.

The other pilots could see that her Hammerhead was rocking to and fro and Wang squinted his eyes at the sight of the damaged Hammerhead.

"Stay clear, Storm Leader," Wang announced, knowing full well that without full energy on the propulsions she was not able to escape any Chigs.

The remaining Hammerheads turned on the Chigs and after some more mikes, they had shot most of them down and the others had retreated.

All the while Urquhart had stayed out of the fight, keeping clear. When Shane asked for the damage reports, he announced that his com had been jinxed but no-one believed him. As they got back into arrow formation, Nathan noticed that Chambers' jet trailed behind, buckling like a young filly.

"Storm Leader, King of Hearts here, do you need any help?" he inquired and he cut back his speed to go alongside her craft. He did not get any reply and when he turned towards her Hammerhead, he could see that her helmeted head had lolled back against the cockpit window.

"Storm Leader, confirm!" he demanded again but still there was no reply.

"Flight Lieutenant, do you copy?" Mullen asked, clearing his throat.

"Storm Leader, here Queen of Diamonds, report your status!" Shane asked, her voice full of concern. The pilots waited, straining their ears to receive any message from Chambers' intercom.

"Meg, do you hear me?" Hawkes inquired as he dropped his jet to the other side of her Hammerhead. "Get your ass over the com or I report to McQueen you've been taking a nap ..."

A groan was the only answer to his challenge and Wang who had tailed Meg's jet, cursed beneath his breath.

"Joker speaking, Chambers' got severe damage to the hood. Either her intercom is smashed or ..." his voice trailed away.

They all knew what this meant. If the hood of the cockpit was damaged she could be low on oxygen and unconscious. Vanessa who had stayed on Chambers' six and Cooper swapped places, rolling over each others hoods in perfect synchrony and Cooper set low above Chambers' Hammerhead.

"Does anyone know about the emergency procedures?" he inquired.

"Affirmative, Jack of Spades," Firth announced over the intercom. "We have to track her in. Parsons, can you find something Coop can lock on?"

"On the top laser guns," Parsons said. "But you'll probably ruin your lower lasers when you lock on. But there's no other way ..."

"Shane?" Cooper asked.

"Copy, Coop," she answered. "We'll back you up ..."

"Positive," Nathan and Wang announced in unison. Slowly, they edged their way towards the damaged Hammerhead, their wings almost touching the damaged jet. The Storm wing covered them, only Urquhart trailing behind.

Cooper slowly cut his speed and dropped towards Chambers. It was a dangerous task to lock onto her Hammerhead while the others were so close at hand and if he did not fly at a precise angle, he would risk not only Chambers' and his own life but also the ones of his squadron.

But given the choice no-one was better acquainted of hitting a target first time around as himself. Except perhaps for Chambers.

He drew in his breath and for once he wished that the flightsuit he was wearing would not regulate his body temperature so easily. He felt the shudder of his jet as his lower lasergun scraped against the metal of Meg's hood, ever so slowly he felt for some nooks and when her laserguns caught with his own, he gave a sigh of relief.

Almost home, he thought as he slowly pulled up, firing his throttle and when he felt that he was locked to Chambers' jet, he pulled away from his squadron.

"HOO-RAH", the Marines shouted over their intercoms.

"Copy, Wild Cards, let's head home!" Cooper said and concentrated on the LIDAR.

The navigators on the Saratoga were surprised when they saw the double-decker Hammerheads on their NAVs. McQueen and Ross headed for the flight deck, checking their intercoms.

"Wild Cards, Queen Six, what happened?" McQueen inquired.

"Queen Six, here Wild Cards. Flight Lieutenant Chambers was hit by friendly fire during combat," Shane informed.

"Friendly fire?" McQueen asked hoarsely.

"Affirmative, Sir," she replied. McQueen and Ross exchanged a glance wit each other and the Commodore frowned.

"Sir, Flight Lieutenant Chambers is unconscious, can't raise her on the com. Request immediate medical care," Cooper announced.

"I'm dislodging now.", he put the propulsion into reverse and the second Hammerhead gently glided into the flight deck on its own.

As soon as the cockpits were disconnected from the jets and appeared in the pits, Cooper took off his helmet and switched off the digitals. His canopy slid back and he was out in a flash. Urquhart's cockpit had been raised in the row in front of him and before the pilot could leave the cockpit, Hawkes pulled him from it and punched him hard into his stomach.

<"You son of a bitch, you did that on purpose!" he shouted, landing one more blow.

"You bloody tanks!" Urquhart hissed, wiping off blood from his bleeding nose. "You're all the same. You should have been all killed before decanting ..."

Blinding rage swept over Cooper and he threw himself onto Urquhart. He wanted to kill this bastard real slow for what he had done to Chambers. Hawkes grabbed the pilot by his flightsuitcollar, unable to control the rage sweeping through his body, cutting off his mind.

"Bad choice for a man's last words, Urquhart. This tank's gonna kill ya!"

McQueen had rushed forward to Hawkes and Urquhart.

"Hawkes!" he shouted, yanking him off the RAF pilot.

"What's this all about?"

When Cooper stumbled a step backward, he felt a soothing hand on his arm and when he turned he saw Nathan standing behind him.

"Sir, Urquhart was the one who hit Chambers," Nathan replied and eight pilots nodded in unison.

"Sir, I saw that Urquhart engaged on purpose on the Flight Lieutenant's craft, Sir," Firth stated firmly. "The Flight Lieutenant was tailed by two Chigs and Wang shot one while we were prying the second off her back. She made a perfect clearing manoeuvre when suddenly Urquhart opened fire on her. There were no enemy jets in his field of vision ..."

"Sir, I can explain ..." Urquhart whined.

"EXPLAIN?" McQueen shouted. "There is nothing you can explain, Lieutenant! If it's true what your wingmen are telling, you have deliberately risked your CO's life ..."

"A tankbrat ..." Urquhart started but was stopped with a perfect blow on his jaw. Urquhart toppled over just as McQueen wiped off his hand on his flightsuit in disgust.

He nodded towards an MP guard and they took the young officer away. When he followed the gazes of the pilots, he saw that the medics were pulling Chambers from her cockpit. She was still unconscious and the medics took off her helmet and dropped it to the floor.

When McQueen came over, he could see the damage on the hood and canopy. The laser had not only hit the top half of the cockpit but the sides, too. There was also major damage to the inside of the cockpit and as he picked up Meg's helmet he noticed that it was scorched as well.

The remaining pilots stood silently as the medics wheeled the Flight Lieutenant quickly away and watched as McQueen followed them to the ER unit.

"McQueen will kill Urquhart if something happens to Chambers ..." Wang whispered.

"Not if Coop gets at him first," Nathan replied and nodded towards Hawkes who stared after the medics, his jaws firmly set.


	5. Part 5

**Chapter Five**

McQueen sat quietly at Meg's bed in the ICU. She had come out of the ER hours ago and the doctors had told him that they had to wait. He had stubbornly refused to leave her alone and had watched Meg's pale face and the tubes which entered her nostrils. One could almost miss the slight heaving of her chest if it were not for the beeps of the life-supporting machine, telling him that she was still breathing.

For the first time in his life he really felt scared. Megan was his godchild, the closest he would ever get to have a child of his own besides perhaps the Cards and the thought of loosing her made him sick to the stomach.

He watched the young woman in front of him and closed his eyes for a moment. After he had escaped the POW it was Megan who had been there for him. Back then with her unconditional love and her childlike naivety she had soothed his troubled thoughts and now he wished he could help her just like she had helped him ten years ago.

The Colonel turned when he heard the door open. Cooper slowly came in and nodded towards the Colonel. The young Marine had been here before, together with the five-eight and the RAF pilots. The Colonel suspected that the young IV had more than a mutual interest in Meg from what he had been able to detect earlier on the flightdeck. He had to smile at that. He knew that Megan had a liking for lost causes like himself and Cooper.

"How is she?" Hawkes asked in a hushed voice.

"She's coming around ..." McQueen answered, his eyes never leaving Meg's face. "She had been low on oxygen and one piece of her helmet got stuck in her temple but they assured me there hadn't been any damage to her brain ... The doctor's told me that she also has a concussion and will feel a bit dizzy once she wakes up."

Cooper stared at the bandaged figure on the bed and watched the appliances.

"What about Urquhart?" he suddenly asked.

"Cdre. Ross is questioning Urquhart and what we have received from SPACECOM, this was not the only case of friendly fire in his record."

Hawkes nodded and stepped closer. He was afraid to see Meg so pale and the rage he had felt when the medics had first wheeled her to the ER came back in a rush. He couldn't understand why he felt so strongly, but thinking of Urquhart right now, made him angry. McQueen must have sensed it for he turned and stood up.

"I want you to stay with her while I speak to Ross," he said but when Cooper wanted to interrupt, he held out his hand.

"I want you to stay clear off Urquhart, do you understand, Hawkes? I don't want to attend your court martial because you killed that son of a bitch!"

"Sir," Cooper answered angrily. "What Urquhart did was deliberate ..."

"I don't want you to deliberately kill another Lieutenant, it would put you on the same level with Urquhart! Anger is a killer, Cooper. It destroys everything it touches including the one it's feeding on!" With these words he left.

Cooper paced the floor slowly, listening to the beeps of the LSM. He felt confused and at a loss. From the moment he had seen her he had felt strangely drawn to this woman and it seemed that he had found a kindred spirit although she was a natural born. The last time he had felt like this, it was at his first arrival at Loxley Marine Corps Space Aviator Base when he had met Shane and McQueen.

The young Marine sat down on the chair beside Meg's bed and took her hand. It was ice-cold and he cupped it with his hands, warming it with his breath by doing so, coming very close to the posture of a man deeply absorbed in a prayer.

_Boss, I don't want to die ..._

You will not die, Woolfe! WOOLFE? Don't leave me! Do you hear me? DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME!

Meg woke up from the haunting nightmare. When she felt someone taking her hand, she tried to fight the sedatives and when she managed to turn her head, she groaned as pain shot through the base of her skull.

"Chambers?" Cooper asked and looked expectantly into her face, searching for any signs that she could hear him.

She heard the blurred voice and willed her eyes to open. After she had focused her sight, she could see that Hawkes sat hunched over by her side. For a moment she had thought it was James Woolfe sitting there but then she realised that the image had only been a reminder of her nightmare. She closed her eyes.

"I'll get McQueen, ok.?" Cooper inquired and raised to his feet but he was surprised when Meg held on to his hand with surprising strength.

"Tell me ... tell me what happened!" Chambers demanded, her voice barely audible.

"You got hit by friendly fire ..." Cooper replied, not sure what he should tell her.

"Urquhart?" Meg asked and Cooper nodded, trying to avoid her eyes. "The Colonel just left to be present at the interrogation, I guess he had to calm down first. He waited while you were in ER ..."

Closing her eyes again she fell back into a restful sleep.

The next day both squadrons visited Chambers but she was still suffering from disorientation. When the Wild Cards left her only Cooper trailed behind. Meg smiled at him and ushered him closer to her.

"Parsons told me you saved my life ..." She whispered and raised her hand to put it doggedly into Cooper's.

The young Marine lowered his lids and tried to pry his hand away from her. After their romantic encounter on the flightdeck there hadn't been enough time to make sense to a lot of things, especially to his troubled emotions concerning her.

The young woman sensed the turmoil of his thoughts and smiled sadly. When she had been a child she had always watched her father cringing away from her mother's and her own touch, not sure how to react. But over the years her father had learned to be gentle and no-one would suspect him now that he had lived for more than twenty years without the proverbial human touch. With McQueen it had been the same, but when Meg had been a small child, she and her brothers had relentlessly demanded cuddles from him until he had grudgingly submitted.

Slowly, she sat up, ignoring the seething headache gushing through her skull. Cooper helped her rearranging the pillows behind her bandaged head.

"I'd better go now, the doctor said that we're only allowed a few mikes," Cooper said and stood up. But Meg held on to his hand and drew him nearer. She did not know why she did what she did, perhaps she wanted to reassure herself that she was still alive. But then again it seemed natural that she should turn to Cooper for comfort. Almost all of her life the persons closest to her had been In-Vitroes.

"Thank you ..." she whispered.

"What for?" Cooper creased his brow.

"For rescuing me. I could have died out there if you hadn't coached me so well the other day ..."

"Coached you?" Cooper asked. "We were kissing ..." he broke off when she smiled shyly at him.

"Uh, for that I give you my special thanks!" she replied and drew him down to her. "This is for showing me how to get used to the Hammerhead," she put a soft kiss onto his cheek. "And this is for the kissing ..." she broke off when Cooper put his lips gently onto her mouth. She didn't resist. She knew she should but his lips were too comforting to end it.

It was a slow but passionate kiss, very different from the one they had exchanged earlier and yet it forged an even closer and stronger bond between them. After a while Cooper drew away and putting his head against her forehead, he inhaled deeply.

This woman made him feel all hot and bothered, he thought and he didn't know if he could restrain himself any longer. He brushed his lips over her mouth again, then smiled apologetically.

"Sorry that I didn'a ask ya first ..." he murmured and left the room.

McQueen passed him on the corridor. From the embarrassed look on the Marine's face he immediately knew that something was going on between him and Meg and for a moment he was intend to put a stop to it right away. But then again it was none of his business what the Marines did when they were off duty.

They aren't even my kids, the Colonel thought but he shook his head. Hawkes and Chambers were the closest he would ever get to have children of his own.

Although troubled by these thoughts, the Colonel was relieved to see his godchild sitting up in bed and when he stepped to her side, she even greeted him with a dodgy smile.

"I guess I can't reprimand Hawkes for ruining his Hammerhead after he has saved your life," he announced and Meg lowered her lids.

"Uh, uh, no, you can't ..." she answered flustered. "He's a good pilot and he reminds me of you and father ..." McQueen hid a smile and petted her hand awkwardly.

"And I know how concerned you are with the well-being of us tanks," he said and sat down beside her.

"You like him very much, don't you?" Meg suddenly asked, turning McQueen into confusion.

"He is a good Marine ..." he began but when he saw his niece's stern look he smiled.

"Yes, I like him because he reminds me of myself when I was his age but with the help of his friends and me he will become a good man and no-one will accuse him of being a lazy tank because they see that he had made good ..." The Colonel cleared his throat in an embarrassed way. Those words were more than he was ready to admit, but Meg had a way to pry even the most hidden secrets from him. Megan on the other hand was not relieved by his words.

What would you think if you knew that I'm beginning to like him very much, she thought and rubbed her temple underneath her bandage absent mindedly. God, she didn't need that right now but she had liked kissing him, liked the way her body had fit against his. She was so deeply engrossed in her troubled thoughts that she almost missed McQueen's question.

"So, tell me, Meg, can I report to your father that you'll return in one piece?"

"Yes," she nodded and grimaced as her head hurt once more. "I think so anyway ..." She was relieved that her uncle had given her the opportunity to change the subject.

"Did Urquhart tell you why he did that?"

"No, but he didn't have to ..." McQueen replied. "SPACECOM informed us that he was on bail because on his last assignment he was reprimanded for friendly fire on one of his junior officers. As far as we know he hates In-Vitroes because his father left his family for another woman, a tank."

Meg studied her hands intently and thought about his words.

"I want to talk to him ..."

"Negative, Meg, he is already on his way back to Earth and he'll await to be court martialed there. The RAF strike command has already set a date for the hearing ..."

<"I see ..." Meg said and McQueen watched her.

Suddenly, she burst into tears and McQueen took her into his arms. He had always admired his friend's determination to live like a normal human being, founding a family and raising children but he had also known that especially the children of In-Vitroes suffered from this situation. Being unaware of the discrimination, the children of In-Vitroes had to learn it the hard way how the society of natural born humans worked. McQueen wondered for the umpteenth time what would have become of his children if he and his divorced wife had ever had any.

During the next two weeks when Chambers recovered fully and was about to resume her assignment together with her squadron, the RAF pilots had teamed up with the Wild Cards. The Colonel had been surprised that the British pilots had assimilated so soon after Urquhart had been transported away but he was relieved that his niece would have no more troubles with her squad. During Meg's reconvalescence Firth had spent long hours talking to his Flight Lieutenant and they had agreed that they let bygones be bygones. Even Cooper had turned up once or twice between OPs but he had kept a distance towards her, always making sure that he turned up at Meg's bed with either Shane or Paul when the Colonel was present. Despite the distraction of both squadrons, Meg had had too much time on her hands which she idled away in day-dreaming. For the first time in almost four months she felt at ease, only now and then having nightmares about her old squadron.

The Wild Cards had organised a small 'welcome home' party for Chambers and Firth was elected to lure the unsuspecting victim to the bar.

"Con, I'm not feeling up to a game of table soccer," Chambers said and paused in the corridor.

"Oh, come on, Meg," Firth said and nudged her along. "After you spent this whole week in bed you should shake them lazy bones."

Chambers looked at her comrade in surprise.

"THEM lazy bones?" she asked with a laugh. "I think it's time we should leave for our home-soil before you turn into a Yank completely!"

"I'm just blending in ..." Firth replied with a shrug of his shoulders. The young Flight Lieutenant shook her head but nevertheless she let herself be led to the bar. The 'Tun was dark and seemed to be closed.

"Are you sure they're open tonight?" she asked. 

"Yes, Flight Lieutenant, definitely!" Firth replied. With a mocking bow he led her inside. Suddenly, the lights were switched on, almost blinding Firth and Chambers. Both squadrons and some officers off duty this evening came forward and greeted the new arrivals.

"You should have seen your face!" Paul said and shoved a drink into Chambers' hand.

"Yes, I must have looked pretty daft!" Meg retorted and grimaced. Sometimes, she still suffered from headaches but tonight she was determined not to let anything ruin her good mood.

"I have almost expected everyone yelling SURPRIZE at me when we came in!" she said and took a sip of the drink. "Ugh, what's this stuff?" she asked perplexed and Paul winked at her.

"The Colonel told us you were not allowed to drink any alcohol, so we mixed some non-alcoholic drink ourselves!"

"I just hope you did not mix your socks in it!" Meg retorted.

McQueen had come over to her, carrying a real toffee-cereal bar in his open palm.

"This is my treat for you, Meg."

"Yeah, Meg, we couldn't organise a chocolate cake," Susan Parsons said and licked her lips.

"It wouldn't have survived anywhere near Sue," Petey Mullen said and nudged Parsons.

Seeing her squadron so cheerful and companionable saddened Meg. Not that she envied them, she was quite glad that the squad had formed a gung-ho at last. But she knew that anytime in an Op they could be killed.

Her glance caught Shane who had witnessed the scene and both women exchanged a long look. They were both honchos, ready to lead their comrades into battle and to obvious death and without words they understood each other and their dilemma.

Megan shivered and tried to shrug off these thoughts. She took another sip of her drink and swallowed.

The stuff gets better the more I drink from it, she told herself and saluted towards Nathan who had come over to stand by her side.

"Back in the furball again!" he commented, watching Parsons, Wang, 'Phousse and Firth playing table soccer.

"Yes, and I will enjoy every minute of it," Meg replied. "Lord, those passed weeks were boring. Every time I wanted to get up one of those nurses almost bound me to the bed ..."

"Poor you!" Nathan said sarcastically and both laughed. Being in the infirmary wasn't the worst place of spending a war, they both knew that.

"West?" Megan asked tentatively. When the Marine turned to watch her with a questioning look, she blushed.

"Uh, do you know if Cooper's seeing someone? You know, anyone special?" she mumbled and Nathan almost spilled his drink but his face remained unmoved by her question.

"You mean special as in girl-friend?" West asked teasingly and Meg laughed embarrassed.

"Yes, one could say that!" she retorted. The young Marine grinned and scratched his jaw with the neck of his beer-bottle.

"Mmh, let's see. Despite his frequent visits to the VR-cade, he was seen visiting a very good-looking broad in the infirmary ..." he yelped in surprise when Meg nudged him hard.

"O.k., ok., Chambers, no need to pull ranks!" He laughed but sobered instantly and watched her for some moments. "Coop is hook, line and sinker if you haven't already noticed, Meg."

Meg closed her eyes as pain engulfed her. West couldn't know that he had used exactly the same words Anne Thurston had told her some time back about James Woolfe, the big, childlike tank in her squad. But it still hurt. She fingered Woolfe's signet ring on her middle finger nervously.

I can't go through with this again, she thought. Not now where my feelings are different. She had had felt motherly towards Woolfe but her feelings for Hawkes had nothing to do with being maternal. Far from that, during her days in the infirmary she had constantly thought about the kisses they had shared.

When Meg didn't react to his words immediately, Nathan's jaws set firmly.

If she was trying to fool around with Cooper he was going to make sure that she exactly knew that she would pay for it.

"Coop is my friend, Chambers, if you'll hurt him, we'll get even!"

Meg stared at him open-mouthed.

"I couldn't hurt Cooper ..." she whispered softly. "He has already been hurt too often and I know how it is to dumped because you are a tank ..."

Nathan lowered his lids and nodded.

"I just wanted to make sure. I'm sorry," he said and looked down at Meg.

"It's all right, I understand and I'm glad that you're a good friend to him ..." she looked over where Cooper was standing. He and Vansen were listening to Mullen who talked energetically, waving his arms. Nathan let it rest at this. He somehow knew that she spoke the truth and he followed her gaze.

"What the hell is he doin'?" Nathan asked interested. Chambers laughed out loud and they walked over to them.

"Believe me, you don't want to know it. He's probably showing them his newest stage-act," she broke off and both watched as Mullen staggered backwards, clutching his chest as if mortally wounded. While Shane had the decency to turn her back on Mullen to hide her smile, Cooper just stared at him open-mouthed.

"You dying or what?" he asked which sent Vansen over the brink. Nathan had never seen her so hilariously funny and when he touched her arm, she just kept on laughing.

"Christ, Nathan. Coop's killing me ..." she gasped.

"Why me?" Cooper asked. "He started it," pointing an accusing finger at Mullen.

"You should've seen your face, Coop," Shane said, still shaking from her laughter. "I'll never forget that!"

Cooper shrugged his shoulders and was about to turn around, when he saw Meg standing beside him.

"Hi," he said and greeted her with a shy smile, blushing deeply. Gesturing with the empty beer-bottle to the bar he asked: "Care for another one?"

Shane stared after the two of them, then looked at Nathan questioningly.

"Don't ask, Shane!" Nathan said and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess Hawkes has finally lost his heart!"


	6. Part 6

Chapter Six

The happy mood was over as soon as the Marines and the RAF pilots were briefed the next morning to be assigned to yet another Op. 

During Meg's time in the infirmary, the jets of the nine-eight had arrived and the pilots had exchanged a lot of data about the jets. Especially Wang had spent a lot of time with Mullen, discussing minor and major problems concerning the HUD and LIDAR of the British jets. 

As Mullen and Wang entered the O-room they were arguing about some detail in the technical manuals and Vanessa exchanged a glance with Shane. 

"Do you think they'd ever get tired of studying these graphs?" she asked and Shane shook her head. 

"Don't bet on it!" she answered and took a seat between Vanessa and Cooper. 

During the briefing in which Ross informed them that their mission was of prior authority and compartmentalised, Shane wondered if there was ever an assignment which was not considered a code red. 

As if the pilots would sit down to a nice comfy talk with the Chigs, she thought and smiled at the irony of it. 

She pulled herself together again, as she noticed her mind drifting off and listened intently to the Commodore's remarks. 

The Wild Cards had been assigned to a ground Op with the nine-eight as airborne support. They had to secure yet another hill on Nox and several squadrons were assigned to it. Shane mused about this but she was not really worried for she knew that Chambers' crew would not let them down and she could count on each of her Marines as well. 

But if Coop starts complaining again, I'll gonna throttle him, she thought and grinned at that. 

The preparations for the Op were quickly over and done with. After so many months in combat the Marines knew what they were doing and when they picked up their gear each one of them knew that they were ready for battle. As always McQueen had accompanied them to the flightdeck, receiving their salute before they boarded the ISSCV. As usual he had told them to look alive as soon they would encounter a Chig and all of them were determined to heed his words. 

Back down on Nox the Wild Cards found themselves in the midst of a hairy-assed furball fight. Each of them remembering the words of their drill instructor, Gunnery Sergeant Bougus. The squadrons had to dig trenches and duck whenever the Chig bombers strafed the area and the natural darkness of the planet made it difficult to recognise either friend and foe around mount MS-7990. Every half hour the five-eight had to establish a com-channel to all the joining squads in the vicinity to make sure that they were not killed by friendly fire.

Paul switched to yet another com-channel to give the 58th position and groaned when he received only the statical over the headphones.

"Vansen, can't raise the three-four over the radio," he stated matter of factly, being beyond sympathy for the erased squadrons after three long, unnerving days on Nox.

Vansen nodded and raised the binocs to her eyes again. Making a mental note that she would kick the asses of Fleet-Com later, she searched the area for any enemy movement. Right now, everything seemed calm and quiet, but during their sojourn on the planet she had discovered that this was just the sign of the beginning of another attack.

"I thought we'd strafe the whole area, sending in the nine-eight and the thirty-two," Cooper said.

He was standing some yards away from Shane and the others, scanning the area through his NVGs. As usual, he had taken point, the most dangerous position of the whole squad. Only an experienced sniper could take such a place to reassure the safety of the squad.

Yeah, either a sniper or a madman, point's always a good place to die! Cooper thought, lifting his M-590. But he knew that the Cards relied on him. They trusted him.

"Let's move on," Shane said and came over to Cooper. "The nearest gun-nest is about 500 to the west. We should be able to bait them if we split up," she gave her friends a cursory once over.

"Any volunteers?" she asked, her voice devoid of any emotion. Splitting up was always a dangerous move for a squadron, especially if two of them would bait the Chigs away from their nests.

"Count me in," West said and stepped forward.

"Yup, me too," Hawkes nodded. If West wanted to risk his neck he wanted to make sure that he didn't get it broken along the way.

After Shane had briefed the two Marines the squad split up. Watching the rest of the Wild Cards advance onto the gun-nest in a wide circle, West checked his ammo-strips. After they had made sure that the Cards were safely on their way, West and Hawkes quickly ran for cover across a wide expanse of underbrush.

Immediately they were sought out as fitting targets and they had to dodge the bullets from the snipers.

"Hey, you needin' practice?" Cooper yelled at the Chigs. West pushed him forward as another volley of shots surrounded them.

"You mad, or what?" Nathan asked through clenched teeth, as they threw themselves unto the hard ground behind a small boulder. "You could get us killed!"

"For crying out loud, West, you think I'm dumb?" Coop retorted, scanning the area through the TS of his weapon.

"Gotcha!" he said as a lone Chig came into his sight of vision. "Should we give 'em a calling card?"

"Definitely, my mom always told me to be polite!" Nathan replied and adjusted the TS to the target. Slowly, his finger touched the trigger of his M-590 when he noticed a movement at the edge of his vision. When he turned towards it, he gasped. A Chig patrol was coming straight towards them, only a few yards away from their hide-out.

"Shit!" Nathan exclaimed but Hawkes had already raised his rifle and fired. 

"We've to get outta here!" he shouted and they both fell into a run. The area rose to a steep rise and soon both Marines were out of breath.

Shane scanned the area again, watching the Chigs who were patrolling in front of the gun-nest.

<

"I don't understand!" she said. "By now Hawkes and West should have taken them out!"

Damphousse crept up beside her and raised the binocs to her eyes.

"I count seven Chigs patrolling," she said breathlessly. "What's Cooper doin'?"

She broke off when they heard sniper fire. Through the binocs she could see that another Chig patrol was advancing to a couple of hills on the east. Paul had joined them at their look-out and he could just make out West and Hawkes chasing like rabbits across another strip of rocky terrain.

"They're retreating further away from us!" he yelled and cocked his gun at the nearest Chig following the Marines.

Suddenly the radio came to life and Wang yanked the earphones onto his head angrily.

"SPACECOM, five-eight reporting in," he announced and strained his ears to receive the message, switching the button to 'all hear'.

"Five-eight, here Queensix," he heard the voice of the Colonel. "Abort Op immediately, repeat: abort Op immediately!"

Shane snatched the radio away from Wang.

"Negative, Queensix. Two officers in combat sit. They need immediate back up!"

"Negative, Wild Cards. Retreat to EVAC point immediately. Extraction on 1805 hours. Queensix out!"

Shane sighed and checked her watch. If they started out to the EVAC site immediately they could make it just in time. When she looked up, Vanessa and Paul were staring at her.

"We can't leave West and Hawkes alone up there!" Paul exclaimed.

"You heard McQueen, we have to move out now!" Shane said and took off her NVGs wearily. "I hate this as much as you ..."

"Shane ..." 'Phousse said pleadingly but the determined look on Shane's face made her shiver.

"Try to raise them over their coms," Vansen said matter of factly and after Paul had established a secure channel, she took a deep breath.

"Jack and King, do you hear?"

"Copy, Queen of Diamonds, loud and clear," Cooper announced.

Shane closed her eyes for a moment.

"Retreat to EVAC site. Repeat: extract at 1805!"

"Good joke there, Shane," Cooper laughed. "And howda ya think we should make it? We're kinda busy right now!"

The Marines could hear gun-fire in the background and Paul groaned.

"Negative, Jack of Spades. Extraction at 1805!" Shane replied, bracing herself for the yelling she was about to hear over the com.

There was a long pause before Nathan's voice was heard.

"Copy, Queen of Diamonds ..." Nathan said slowly. "Awaiting new orders on seven-seven-four."

"Affirmative. Seven-seven-four," Shane replied. "Semper Fi and look alive!"

"Semper Fi," Nathan answered, clearing his throat.

"Shane?" That was Cooper's voice.

"Yeah, Coop?" Vansen asked.

"Tell ... uh, tell Chambers ... tell her I'll be seeing her!"

"Yes, I will, Coop," Shane replied. "Semper Fi!"

"Yeah. Semper Fi, do or die..."

Shane closed her eyes. Ever since she had gotten their orders the knot in her stomach had grown and she felt extremely sick. The Marine Corps didn't leave their Marines behind, and yet this was exactly what she was doing. She was about to leave two friends, her best-friends.

Tyrus Cassius McQueen sat at his desk and tried to concentrate on Achilles' return to the battle field. Usually, reading Homer's 'Iliad' calmed his troubled thoughts but tonight it didn't help. Ever since Fleet-Com had ordered them to retreat he had a hell of a headache which had only increased when the ISSCV had landed on the Saratoga and the Marines had filed out slowly. He had been waiting for them on the mid-deck but when they had seen him, they had just brushed past without as so much as a nod.

Wearily, he rubbed his eyes and stood up. He paced the floor of his quarters restlessly when he heard a knock on the hatch. Before he could ask who was there the hatch was pushed open and crashed into the metal wall of his quarters. Chambers stood in the doorway, clutching her fists at her sides. She entered with a determined step and only paused a few inches in front of her CO.

"How could you do this?" she demanded angrily, suppressing the urge to claw her nails into his face.

"Fleet-Com ordered us to leave ..." McQueen started lamely but Megan shook her head and cut in:

"To hell with Fleet-Com! You know as well as I do that those two Marines are going to die down there if we don't do something ... "

"Ross and I have already made plans, Meg. We will assemble a rescue team as soon as Fleet-Com gives their ok. ..." he stated wearily.

"Hah, Fleet-Com gives a shit about rescuing the Marines. I was on Acheron, I have seen how quickly Fleet-Com makes decisions, Uncle Mac. When they finally decided to rescue the seven-two, three of us were dead ..." Meg closed her eyes for a moment, forcing back the memories of that incident. The seven-two had been assigned to a transport-mission on the fringes of the battle. An easy task they had thought but the Chigs had changed their attack-plans and the pilots had found themselves in the very first wave of attacks. They had to make a crash-landing on one of the in-numerous moons in the Procyon sector. For five days the pilots had had to keep in hiding, always aware that one false move could mean their deaths.

She didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to remember the frightened look of James Woolfe, after he had received a shot to his stomach, clutching at what had remained of his guts. The dying had taken long and all Meg could do was holding James in her arms and listening to him as he told her that he was too young to die, that he wanted to have more than ten years of hurt and pain.

Big strong Woolfe ... She had been his mother, his friend and as he was about to take his last breath she had also been his lover.

She licked her lips and she could still feel the metallic, salty taste of his blood on them. When he had asked her to kiss him she had obliged, kissing the bloodied lips of the dying man. Back then, Meg had lost her innocence about the war. Seeing her fellow crew-men die and not able to do anything about it, had left a deep, soaring pain inside of her.

McQueen watched his godchild's agony. To see her like that touched something deep inside of him. He had been in the same hell in which she was right now.

"Meg," he pleaded and touched her shoulders. "Trust me, we'll get West and Hawkes out of there no matter what ..."

"Aye, it just stands to question if they return dead or alive ..." Chamber replied wearily and turned away.


	7. Part 7

Chapter Seven 

Hawkes checked his watch and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. About an hour ago they had decided to get some sleep and had camped in one of the caves high up in the mountain, directly across MS-7990. He didn't know what this mountain was called but he didn't really care.

Scanning the area through his NVGs he watched the Chigs still patrolling the gun-nests.

Only by pure chance and the proverbial luck they had escaped the patrol's attack unharmed. After they had retreated to the higher regions of the mountain across their intended target, the Chigs had soon given up their search for them. It was as if they knew that without back-up and airborne support the Marines were going to die there.

But Hawkes didn't want to die. There had been a time in his short life where he had wished that some human or Chig would have snuffed out his life but not now. He wanted to return to the 'Toga in one piece, wanted to take a good night's sleep and maybe meet Chambers on a deserted flightdeck.

He had been lucky that she had reacted so ... what, understanding? Yeah, where Shane had used her strength, Megan had used her English politeness to tell him no-no. But then why had she kissed him? Oh, what the hell, he thought. Take 'em and leave 'em! He grinned at that. Yeah, and if I did she would probably kick my butt.

Hawkes turned his back and saw that Nathan was stirring uncomfortably in his sleeping bag. When the Marine had sat up he rubbed his unshaven jaws and looked around.

"What's up?" he inquired, creeping up to Hawkes. Nathan wished he could take a long hot shower and change into a clean uniform but that was out of the question. Being in Op meant that the Marines had to do without the amenities of civilisation.

Hawkes passed him the binocs and Nathan groaned when he saw that nothing had changed since the last time he had looked. They were still trapped, no way to reach the evasive EVAC co-ordinates to the west of MS-7990. Nathan opened his rucksack and searched through the MREs.

"You wanna trade Chile relleño for Macaroni Cheese?" he asked and held up the USMC version of the Mexican chilli. Cooper shrugged his backpack off his shoulders and threw it down at Nathan.

"Help yourself," he said.

After Nathan had opened the MRE, grimacing at the smell of it, he came over to Hawkes.

"Ah, the feast of the Corps," Hawkes said, sniffing. "Smells like Chiggy shit and lasts forever!"

"You know, when McQueen gave Chambers this toffee bar I really got envious. Boy, what would I give for chocolate right now!" West said and munched his Macaroni Cheese.

"Coop?" Nathan asked after a while and Hawkes snorted as an answer. He was scanning the area for Chigs.

"I ... uh, know it's none of my business but is it something serious with you and Chambers, or what?" The other Marine almost dropped the binocs in surprise before he turned towards West.

"How da ya know?"

"Uh, well, I just happened to pass the flightdeck the other night ... and from the way you're acting kind of protective around her, it had kept me wonderin'," Nathan replied and saw Cooper blush.

"Chambers is a hell of a pilot ..." Coop answered curtly and Nathan rolled his eyes towards the night-sky.

"God, Coop. You talk as if she's one of our mates. I'm talking about serious petting on a flightdeck here," West retorted.

"Whadda ya think I should say, West? That she's making me feel a helluva lot of things I dunno even the words of?"

"That would be nice as a start," Nathan replied, grinning from one ear to the other.

"You become just like Wang, ya know, always sneaking around to get the newest rumours ... I like her," Cooper said and when Nathan rolled his eyes heavenwards again he added: "Ok., I like her a lot. So what? She's only on the 'Toga for a couple of days. And if McQueen finds out he'll grill me!"

"Never mind the ol' man now," Nathan dismissed Cooper's words with a wave of his hand. "What about you?"

Hawkes groaned and rubbed his unshaven cheeks impatiently.

"You know, West, they could need ya with the guys from the Loyalty Test Department ..." he said and after another incredulous look from Nathan, he added: "Ok., she is kinda beautiful and talks in this strange way but ..." he helplessly shrugged his shoulders. "She's different. I get these kinda feelings around her like she doesn't give a damn that I'm a tank. She knows, so what? I wanna be with her when the war is over," he looked sheepishly at Nathan. "Is that stupid of me?"

Nathan shook his head and squeezed Cooper's shoulder.

"Nope, it's definitely not stupid, Coop."

Meg carefully tossed the blanket aside and sat up. Checking her watch, she could see that two hours had passed since she and the others had turned in. As she listened to the steady breaths of the others sleeping, she made her way down to the floor. Avoiding any sounds, she went to her locker and put her boots on. Then she took her rebreather flighthelmet and left the Cards' quarters.

"Is she gone?" Vanessa whispered and swung her head over the edge of her mattress to see Shane on the lower bunk. In the dim light she could just make out Shane's body shape.

"Yup," Shane said and in unison they left their bunks. Paul stirred beside them and shaking his head he grabbed his flight-gear which he had hidden beneath his bunk. In silence they left the quarters together with the British pilots and headed towards the mid-deck. Equipped with their M-590s and standard issue Marine combat gear they opened the hatch to the hangars and boarded the parked ISSCV while the RAF pilots mounted the Spitties. All was silent, the MP guards long gone. When Shane checked the com-channels and the HUD the com crackled into life and a voice announced:

"What took you so long?" For a moment she just sat there, staring at the light flashing to indicate that she was on-line to the bridge.

"Wild Cards, Queensix here. Do you copy?" McQueen inquired again and Shane cleared her throat.

"Copy, Queensix," she said and Vanessa shot her a surprised glance.

"Storm Leader has just left the Saratoga, repeat: Storm Leader on AWOL," McQueen stated. "Storm-Wing and Cards are to intercept her ..."

"Copy, Queensix. Intercepting AWOL!"

"Queensix out!"

"I'll be damned," Wang said and let out a sigh of relief. "How did the ol' man know we were going?"

"Intuition for one," Vanessa answered. "I guess he knew that Chambers would do something stupid like stealing one of the jets ..." she shrugged her shoulders and hit the propulsion buttons.

"Well, guys, I think we're in business," Shane said and grabbed the stick. "As long as Fleet-Com thinks we were sent out to retrieve an AWOL, they can't reprimand us!" Only minutes after the BC-48 jet had left the Saratoga, the ISSCV and several Spitties followed it to Nox.

"Storm Leader, here Ace of Hearts," Vanessa said over the com. "Return to the 'Toga immediately," she switched to a secured channel and continued: "Chambers, do you copy? Here Wild Cards, do you think you could go AWOL without us?"

"Copy, Wild Cards," Chambers announced, sounding a little bit surprised. "What are you doing here? You could be court-martialled for this!"

"You don't say!" Paul cut in. "Do ya think we'd leave you all the fun?"

After the skipchatter had died down, Meg had switched off the com and concentrated on her databars. The Cards' had transmitted her the last co-ordinates of Hawkes and West and they had decided that she should scan the area with her Spittie before they'd land to retrieve the MIAs. She was glad that the Cards and her own squad had followed her. It had been a spur of the moment idea to grab a Spittie and look for the MIAs herself but she had to do it. Five months back she had not been able to help her crewmates but now she was determined to rescue the two Marines. 

Entering the ionosphere of Nox was an easy task, avoiding the satellite probes patrolling the atmosphere of the planet another one.

As soon as she had entered the atmosphere of the planet, Meg had to be on guard. Only a few klicks away from the MIAs' co-ordinates an aviator base of the Chigs was stationed.

Switching to CS she scanned the area with the GTS, the global thermal scan. In this eternal darkness it was hard to make out something down in the rocky terrain beneath her. She got as low as she would dare, almost scraping the rocks and hills by doing so. Squinting her eyes to search the ground beneath she almost overlooked the warning of her HUD. Three bandits were advancing rapidly on her and Meg hit the propulsions hard, grabbing the stick to her chest and sending her Spittie into a steep rise. When the Chigs engaged on her their first volleys of laserfire, she had already hit the thrusters and jinxed the jets.

West's head jerked up and directed his gaze towards the sky when the first gunfire exploded and lit up the dark sky above him. Hawkes woke up with a start when he heard the unmistakable roar of jet thrusters. Unlike West he hadn't bothered with taking a nap in the sleeping bag after they had changed watch, he had just sat back against a boulder, cradling his M-590.

"They're bombing us out?" he asked and joined West at the lookout. West dropped the binocs to his chest and shook his head.

"They're in a dogfight with another jet ..." he said and rubbed his eyes. From what he had been able to detect, the jet had looked like a BC-48 jet. Slowly, he let the knowledge sink into him that he had only seen one friendly and he was wondering where the hell the others were.

"Shit!" Hawkes exclaimed at his side. He had raised his own binocs to his eyes and watched the airfight. "They got him!"

Both Marines watched as the jet dropped head-on like a stone. Shortly, before the impact the pilot forced the jet into a level position. Behind the bend of the hill, the jet vanished and West and Hawkes heard the loud crash of the impact. For some minutes they heard nothing, when suddenly they witnessed a loud explosion, a high column of fire rising into the night-sky. Hawkes exchanged a look with West.

"I'm going to have a look!" Coop said and straightened himself. He checked his M-590 and tucking the K-bar into its sheath at his calf, he exchanged a glance with West.

"Be careful and look alive!" West said, extending his hand towards him. Cooper took it and for a short moment they just stood there.

"O.k., let's hack!" Hawkes said and adjusting his NVGs, he vanished into the darkness.

Slowly, he made his way to the crash-site, ducking for cover behind some rocks and boulders. When he had rounded the hill, he could see the site where the jet had exploded. Several Chigs were examining the debris which was still burning and smouldering. Carefully, he put the binocs to his eyes and watched the Aliens as they picked up a flighthelmet lying around on the ground. Through the binocs Cooper could see that a blue and red cross of a Union Jack was flashing in the dim light of the torches. Hawkes closed his eyes for a moment then put the binocs away again. Checking and loading his M-590, he took aim carefully, gazing through the TS. Slowly, he edged the trigger of the rifle, pushing slightly.

The gun-fire downed two Chigs at the same time and for a moment Cooper was confused. He had only aimed at the Chig holding the helmet. When another Chig fell to the ground, gas escaping from the wound with a furious hiss, he shook off the surprise and downed two more. Suddenly he heard the unmistakable sound of a smart grenade advancing rapidly onto the Chigs and he ducked his head behind the boulder. The ground shuddered and pieces of metal and ooze rained down on Cooper. He raised his head and squinting over the rim of the boulder, he could see that the patrol was history. He was still staring at the remains of the dead Chigs when he heard the soft thud of footsteps coming up from behind him. He rolled down on his back, his M-590 aiming at anything which was coming his way.

"Bulldog!" he shouted, ready to fire the second he would get the wrong password.

"Chesty!" A voice shouted back and Cooper let out a sigh of relief. He had recognized the voice.

"Shit, Chambers, I almost killed ya!" he exclaimed and cocked the rifle to the ground. Meg stepped out of the shadows and squatting down in front of him she gave him a crooked smile.

"Well, hello to you as well, Coop. I thought you and West would like to have a ride home," she said and tucked the gun into the holster beneath her arm. Cooper watched her as she rubbed some muck from her cheek, smearing her face even more.

"No: thank you, Meg, for saving my ass?" she asked saucily. Hawkes made a grab for her and took her into a tight embrace.

"Meg, you scared the hell outta me," he whispered against her lips before he crushed them with a kiss. Meg groaned as she felt his tongue conquering her mouth and she yielded to his raging, desperate kiss. She held on to him for dear life, cupping his face with her hands, reassuring herself that he was alive.

Man, it was good to see her again. He had really believed he would die on this damn' planet. He took her into a tight embrace again and squeezed her shortly.

"Well, that's more of a welcome," she whispered hoarsely and traced the lines of his cheeks with a shivering hand. Lord, she was so relieved that he was still alive and at that moment she wanted nothing more than cuddle up to him and listen to his steady heartbeat beneath her hand. Cooper pushed her slightly away from him and his gaze travelled over her face, taking in every curve of it.

"Hey, Coop, do you copy?" Nathan inquired over the com and Cooper let out a deep growl, he gave Meg a last, hard kiss and readjusted the mike.

"Yup, Nathan, I hear you loud and clear!" he announced.

"Nice to let me know, Hawkes. I thought the Chiggies got ya!" West said sarcastically. "You been taking a nap?"

"Nope! I've been waltzing with a couple of Chigs. By the way," he flashed Meg a devilish smile. "Guess who's waltzed along with 'em!"

He heard Nathan's groan over the com.

"Don't tell me that was Chambers' jet we saw ..."

"Positive, West," Meg said into Cooper's mouthpiece. "We'll join you in ten mikes!" Nathan had to wait less than ten minutes when he caught sight of Chambers and Hawkes running towards his hide-out. When they had reached him, panting and flushed, he shook his head.

"You wanna break the planet's record of cross-country racing or what?" he asked.

"We got another patrol directly on our heels," Meg said and took in several deep breaths. "I think they didn't take it lightly that their mates are dead."

The Marines took up their rifles and scanned the area while Meg sat down and rummaged through her rucksack. She set up the radio and switched to a secured channel.

"Ace of Hearts, Storm Leader speaking," Meg announced and checked the Global Positioning System. "Found the two lost lambs. Repeat: found the lost lambs. GPS giving position on three-five-six!"

"Copy, Storm Leader, extraction in 0345 hours," Damphousse replied and Shane thumbed in the numbers into her database before heading the ISSCV towards the rendezvous co-ordinates.

"What about your ride?" Paul asked over the com.

"Negative, Joker. I think I'm owing the British government about three-hundred thousand quid for smashing it!"

"Hell, you making a habit out of it?" Wang asked and the Marines laughed at that.


	8. Part 8

Chapter Eight

The Marines were surprised to find the flightdeck-bay deserted. After their stunt they had at least expected to be cartered off by MP-guards without so much as a 'welcome back'. West and Vansen exchanged a look with each other as they stood in the hangar, unsure what to expect.

They all started when the hatch was opened and Ross and McQueen entered, followed by a sheepy looking nine-eight.

"Ten-hut!" Vanessa shouted and the Wild Cards stood to attention and saluted their COs awkwardly. Commodore Ross walked along their line-up, inspecting each Marine and RAF pilot closely as he passed them. Nervously, Hawkes shot McQueen a glance from the corner of his eyes but the Colonel just stared straight ahead with a stony face.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Ross asked suddenly. "Stealing USMC gear and going AWOL will be persecuted with severe penalties!" The pilots tensed at that.

"Do you know what time and nerves it did cost me to persuade Fleet-Com that this was NOT a black Op? I risked my ass for you idiots!"

"Sir, I can explain, Sir!" Chambers stepped forward. "The five-eight suspected that this officer was AWOL and tried to retain her. By executing their orders they picked up the MIAs as well ..."

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT PILE OF CHIG SHIT, Flight Lieutenant!" Ross roared. "I know the five-eight better than you! They deliberately disobeyed Fleet-Com orders, stole a Navy Vehicle and started a guerrilla war back on Nox. And if that isn't enough they corrupted the nine-eight as well!"

That's it then, Hawkes thought. They would probably be discharged from the Marine Corps dishonourably.

"As much as I agree with Fleet-Com to reprimand you severely, I have persuaded them to keep this whole Op compartmentalised," Ross said. "If one of you even breathes as much as a word about what happened down there you will be praying to go waltzing with the Chigs. UNDERSTOOD?"

The Marines and RAF pilots hesitated for a moment before they shouted in unison:

"SIR! YES, SIR!"

After Ross had left the flightdeck, McQueen came over and some groans were heard coming from the Marines. McQueen had always a way to make them uncomfortable if he thought they had screwed it. The silence drew on, making the Marines even more edgy. They were all tired and wished they could take at least a shower before turning in but when McQueen was in one of his moods it was better to keep your heads level and clear.

"Five-eight," he started and then a cold blaze out of blue eyes scanned the nine-eight. "98th, you heard Cdr. Ross and I second every word of him. If you ever make such a stupid stunt again without informing me beforehand I gonna serve you to the Chigs for breakfast!" After another warning look, he nodded his head towards the hatch to the dockingbay.

"Take a shower and turn in, Marines. Dismissed!"

They all gave a united sigh of relief and made their way to their quarters. But, although they had all felt tired, after they had taken their showers, both squads were still too excited to turn into their bunks, especially when Mullen and Wang gave their own special play-act about the Op on Nox. Meg watched as Mullen dramatically described his dogfight with a Chig fighter when she caught sight of Hawkes who was sitting on his bunk. She walked slowly passed him, careful not to draw any attention of the Marines to herself and opened the hatch.

It took only minutes before Hawkes arrived on the deserted flightdeck and when he spotted Megan leaning against the wall, hiding away from the door, he stepped over to her and they kissed hungrily.

After a while they drew apart and sat down on the floor, hugging each other softly. Hawkes had picked up her hand and caressed it gently. He toyed the signet-ring on her middle finger and when Meg noticed she smiled sadly.

It was time to say good-bye, she thought. To Hawkes as well as to Woolfe. Especially to Woolfe and the others of her old squad.

"A very dear friend gave me that ring once. He said it would keep me safe," she pulled the ring off and put it into his palm. "I want you to have it," she said sadly. "Think of it as a heirloom from a tankbrat and her tanks ..."

Hawkes knew that this was some kind of important ritual for her and although he couldn't find words to ask her about it, he appreciated that she had chosen him. It made him kinda special, he thought.

When she looked up, she saw Cooper smiling down at her. Chambers drew his head towards her and put a soft kiss onto his cheek. She knew this was their last time together. She wanted to tell him so many things but she remained silent. She couldn't find the words to tell him that she liked him, he could probably not relate to it anyway and she didn't want to be hurt again, not now after she had made up to her squad by rescuing the two Marines.

Cooper brushed his lips over her mouth, encircling her neck. It was strange not to feel the navel beneath his finger but he could feel her pulse quickening in the same drumming rhythm as his own.

"Meg," he whispered, "Uh, I ..." he broke off when she met him with a level gaze.

"I know," she replied softly. "I like to be with you ..."

<

Cooper smiled at that and nodded his head.

"Yeah, I like it as well," he answered shyly. They kissed again more seriously then, and missed the sound of footsteps coming from the corridor.

When McQueen entered the flightdeck, he stopped dead in his tracks. The picture of the kissing couple disturbed him but he watched the two silently nevertheless until Hawkes looked up and rushed to his feet immediately. Nodding towards the hatch he dismissed the young IV but when Chambers passed him, he held her back.

"Chambers, we have to talk! In ten minutes at my quarters!" he simply said and turned towards the hatch.

Megan inhaled deeply before she knocked on the hatch to McQueen's quarters. When she had sneaked out of the lockerroom, Hawkes had given her a disturbed look but she had smiled at him reassuringly. She wished she would feel this assurance right now. McQueen opened the hatch and with a nod of his head he ordered her in. Meg looked around for something to brace her on, but the Colonel's quarters were almost bare. After McQueen had slowly walked over to the port, his back to his godchild, the young woman felt at a loss. She had expected him to be furious, yelling at her but until now he had remained silent.

"Sir?" she asked nervously and finally McQueen turned around. He scanned her with a cursory glance and when his eyes fell on her left hand, noticing the missing ring, he felt somewhat relieved. Ever since she had worn Woolfe's RAF signet-ring it had been a constant reminder of the hell she had gone through on some deserted planet.

"You have said good-bye ..." he stated matter-of-factly.

"Yes," she said slowly and raised her head to look at her uncle. She could see that he was disturbed by all the things which had happened. But most of all she could see the real concern in his eyes and she suspected that it was not solely because of her but of Hawkes as well. "I have said good-bye to the seventy-two ... It took a long time but I've finally managed ..." she replied.

"What about Hawkes?" the Colonel inquired sternly. "Have you said good-bye to him as well? He's just a kid, Meg. He cannot understand that you needed someone to get over the deaths of Woolfe and the others. He probably thinks he's in love with you when all you wanted was a bit of comfort to forget your lost ... love."

Chambers stared at him for long moments then she started to laugh bitterly. McQueen watched her in terror as she slumped down on a chair, laughing and crying at the same time. He feared that she had finally lost her grip.

"Lord," she said after she had calmed herself and watched McQueen who still stared at her. "Do you really believe I just traded one tank for another? Oh, Mac, you should know me better than that! Yes, I loved Woolfe and he loved me. But not as you think!" She closed her eyes for a moment and thought about the last time when she had seen the big tank alive. "Even when he asked me to wear his ring I knew he only saw the mother in me. He never even so much as hinted at me that he wanted more than friendship. Woolfe was my ... son, a big one, yes, but nevertheless I only had maternal feelings for him. He needed my protection just as the others in my squad ..." Megan said and hugged herself.

"Cooper is different. He doesn't see me as his surrogate mother. And he makes me feel different ..." she smiled sadly and searched for words. "Uncle Mac, for the first time I feel like a woman, like a normal human being and not like some freak you can call names. If you think me selfish for wanting to cherish this feeling then to hell with it. I like Coop, I like him very much, don't you see that? Not because he's a tank or because he reminds me of Woolfe. I like him because he makes me feel special ..."

McQueen was deeply touched by her words. He had never imagined that Megan would think of herself as a freak. But then again he knew how cruel people could be, he had heard too many names and innuendoes over the years himself and he could only try to imagine what Megan had been gone through.

"I'm sorry, Meg," he said and squatted down in front of her. Megan smiled sadly and took his hand and brought it to her cheek.

"Promise me that you take good care of him. He looks up to you and the thought that he'll be with you ..." she broke off when McQueen frowned. "I know he's a Marine and that he doesn't need someone to fret over him but to think that you'll look after him makes me feel better. You were right though, he helped me get over the deaths of Woolfe, Thurston and Carter because I was able to save someone who is very close to me. I failed the last time but not this time ..."

Epilogue

A day later the Wild Cards led by McQueen accompanied the number 9-8 squadron to the flight deck where the transporter waited. The corridor to the bay was crowded and after another quick glance towards McQueen who was walking in front of him, Cooper reached out towards Meg and squeezed her hand gently. Their eyes met for a moment.

They both were aware of the fact that they wouldn't see each other for quite a while, if ever. But they had remained silent, never voicing the feelings they felt for each other. Both afraid of what would happen during this war. On the flightdeck Hawkes nodded towards the Flight Lieutenant and her Lieutenants.

It was noisy, the Cards exchanging last minute addresses with the pilots. When Meg stepped through the hatch she turned around to have a last look.

She owed Cooper much, she owed them all very much and she knew that. But she also knew that she had to come to terms with the deaths of her crew-mates first before she would be able to face the Cards and especially Hawkes again.

They exchanged a last long look and Megan mouthed 'see ya', before the hatch of the transporter was sealed. The Marines retreated to the middeck lounge and watched the starting craft. Nathan stepped beside Cooper after the propulsion lights of the RAF transporter had long vanished into the vast darkness of space. He reached up and put a hand onto his shoulder and squeezed it.

"It is always difficult to say good bye ..." he said and Cooper turned to face him.

"Yeah, especially if you've never learned how to do it," Cooper replied shyly and Nathan gave him another pat on the shoulder.

"There are no lessons in saying good bye, Coop. In-Vitro or not we all have problems with it," he replied. "But at least you know that she's safe, you know where she is. I wish I could say the same about Kylen."

Cooper turned and watched his friend. When he had first met Nathan he had thought that he was a milksop, always pining away for his lost love. But right now he could somehow understand how West felt. Seeing Chambers off had torn something inside of him, something which felt strange and yet familiar. He still had to come to terms with this particular feeling but he knew that he was not alone. Nathan squeezed his shoulder again knowingly and smiled sadly before he left him alone.

Hawkes stared out of the port and watched the stars blinking. He wished he was never forced to say good bye to Nathan or the others. They had become a family to him and he did not want to loose them and ever being alone again. But if he and Chambers would survive this war, perhaps he wouldn't be alone anymore.

He turned away from the portwindow and came face to face with McQueen who had just as silently watched the departing ISSCV. The Colonel gave him a short understanding nod, then left the middeck.

**THE END**

  


© [_Una Fritz_][1] 1997  


   [1]: mailto:fritzu@uni-duesseldorf.de



	9. Notice

  


  


  


This is it ... the end of Part Two of the **Honoris Certamen** (Battle of Recognition) series.  
  
Meg Chambers' & Cooper Hawkes story continues with Honoris Certamen 3: REDEMPTION - http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=229276 

Thank you for reading and reviewing,  
Una 


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